wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress 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 “wordpress custom fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 97 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. 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 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #2 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 4 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #4 5 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too low 7 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #7 ↑8 2 too high 10 
Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #9 ↑5 2 too high 12 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #17 ↓9 5 too low 13 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too low 14 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #10 ↓3 5 too high 16 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #23 ↓3 6 too low 18 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too high 23 
WordPress Importer 2M+ · 3.1★ (327)
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 4 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.