wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “order fields”
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 “order fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 6 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
Product Input Fields for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 17 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 4 
Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↑2 4 too high 11 
Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #21 ↑1 8 too low 14 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
Flexible Product Fields (WooCommerce Product Addons) – WooCommerce Product Page Editor 10K+ · 4.5★ (106)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
WC Fields Factory 7K+ · 4.3★ (168)
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑3 1 too high 19 
OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓2 20 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #16 4 too high 21 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
Conditional Fields for Elementor Form – Apply Conditional Logic 10K+ · 4.7★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Product Input Fields for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.0★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.