wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom orders”
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 orders”, 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
Custom Order Status for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 32 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. 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 ↑1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #5 ↓2 3 too high 9 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #15 ↑2 5 too low 11 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #21 ↓2 10 too low 12 
Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.9★ (146)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too high 16 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #23 ↓7 7 too low 17 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #18 ↑4 19 
Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58)
wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too high 21 
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.5★ (66)
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32)
wp.org #11 11 too high 23 
Phone Orders for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (32)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.