wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “taxonomy 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 “taxonomy fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
WP Taxonomy Manager shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. 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) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #2 3 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #3 4 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #5 6 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #8 9 
Beautiful taxonomy filters 2K+ · 4.9★ (68)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #23 12 too low 12 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #21 ↓1 9 too low 13 
Taxonomy Switcher 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Admin Columns for ACF Fields 8K+ · 4.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Conditional Fields for Elementor Form – Apply Conditional Logic 10K+ · 4.7★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 
Advanced Category and Custom Taxonomy Image 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 
MDTF – Meta Data and Taxonomies Filter 900+ · 4.5★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 S Simple Taxonomy Refreshed 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 WP Taxonomy Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
Dynamic Fields Engine – Custom post types, Custom fields, Meta fields, Taxonomies, Listing builder, Query builder and Relations 3K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 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.