wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom layouts”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “custom layouts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Post Layouts shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #2 ↑5 1 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 9 
Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy 3K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too high 10 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too high 13 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #24 11 too low 14 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↑4 4 too high 16 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Layouts for WPBakery 3K+ · 4.4★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #12 7 too high 20 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Product Layouts for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓4 7 too high 22 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Layouts for Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 9 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.