wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom tables”
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 tables”, 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 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
Make Tables Responsive shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 34 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 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.
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑5 4 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472)
wp.org #7 ↓4 1 too low 7 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #8 ↓2 9 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497)
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too low 11 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too high 12 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #12 ↑5 2 too high 15 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 
WP Table Builder – Drag & Drop Table Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (681)
wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 
Pricing Table WordPress Plugin – Easy Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.3★ (133)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #18 ↓2 19 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221)
wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too high 21 Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34)
wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34)
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #21 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.