wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom register”

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 register”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #2 3

ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #3 ↑2 4

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5

Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6

Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7

Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9

Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10

Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #9 ↑4 1 too high 11

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12

User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14

RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15

Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #24 ↓2 8 too low 17

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18

Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19

Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too high 21

Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #20 1 too high 22

WP Register Profile With Shortcode 300+ · 3.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 5 too high 23

JAY Login & Register 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #18 5 too high 24 C Custom Metadata Manager 700+ · 4.4★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 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.