wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom role”
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 role”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. 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 2 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 ↑2 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 too high 7 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #8 ↑6 2 too high 11 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too low 12 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too high 19 
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 9 too high 21 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 23 
Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
Custom Access Roles 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.