wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom link”
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 link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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
SMNTCS Custom Logo Link shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1915 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. 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 ↑3 2 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #6 ↑4 1 too high 8 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #11 ↑9 12 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #20 ↑3 8 too low 13 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150)
wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too low 19 
Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 6 too high 20 
Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 SMNTCS Custom Logo Link 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 
Link Juice Keeper 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓9 2 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.