wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom menu”
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 menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 2 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
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally shows at wp.org #13 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 400K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 62 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 763 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. 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 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #2 ↑10 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too high 5 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #5 ↓2 6 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #8 ↓4 2 too low 7 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #6 ↑4 2 too high 9 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #10 ↓4 1 too low 10 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too low 11 
Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43)
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #11 ↑11 1 too high 13 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↑6 2 too high 15 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #15 ↓6 16 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too high 19 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #20 ↑3 1 too low 20 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too high 21 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #23 ↓7 2 too low 22 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑3 3 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.