wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom options”
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 options”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #17 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. 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)
wp.org #1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #2 ↑3 1 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #4 ↓2 2 too high 7 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too low 9 
Extra Product Options For WooCommerce | Custom Product Addons and Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #9 ↑3 10 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too high 12 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #13 ↑11 2 too high 16 
Product Options and Price Calculation Formulas for WooCommerce – Uni CPO 1K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 
Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #20 21 
Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57)
wp.org #21 ↓2 22 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Custom Option Page for ACF 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.