wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “posts custom 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 “posts custom fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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

Smart Custom Fields shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 50K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 973 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #2 3

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too high 5

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6

Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7

Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #7 ↑2 8

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9

Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #12 ↑3 3 too low 10

Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11

Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #19 7 too low 13

Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #14 1 too high 16

Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17

Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #10 8 too high 19

ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21

Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22

Custom Fields for Gutenberg 1K+ · 4.9★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #20 3 too high 24

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.