Dynamic User Directory
by Sarah Giles · Login & Users
Powerful and feature-rich user directory based on user profile meta fields.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 66/100
Open vulnerability
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+52%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “user directory”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
66 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.2%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 86K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,476 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2023-09-26Most reviewers love how simple it is and say Sarah answers support fast, though a couple hit walls with the author-page linking and call the code messy and hard to restyle.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 354 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 38 reviews, smoothed to 4.40★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.2
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| user directory your tag | #13 | #22 | 0 |
| s2member custom profile fields | #5 | #7 | down 1 |
| member directory your tag | #24 | #21 | down 2 |
| user switching | #24 | #19 | — |
| extend user profile | #23 | #21 | down 2 |
| buddypress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| memberpress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| user registration your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
28 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 23 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “user directory”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “buddypress”, “memberpress” and “user registration” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
12mo ago
latest release · v2.4 · 11 Nov 2025
73
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 74% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 10 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ SomniumLucidus3.1y ago
Very versatile and extremely useful plugin. I only wish there were more markup tags in the frontend display, as sometimes it’s troublesome to style things via CSS.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Suki4.9y ago
SIMPLE AND PERFECT. YOU DONT NEED BIG PLUGINS TO MAKE A LIST OF USERS ALSO THE PAID ADDONS ARE GREAT
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ andypasztirak5.5y ago
The plugin itself is functional, as long as you don’t intend to modify the markup generated by it. The module is badly coded, something an undergrad student might be proud of, but with this kind of work I don’t see why the author is touting their “20 year web development” experience. Just as an example, the core plugin code is in a single php file, 3572 lines of code, with PHP, SQL, HTML output all jumbled together in one terrible mess. Again, as long as you don’t want to modify the output, it works, it outputs functional HTML – which is why this review didn’t end up a 1-star -, but if you want a solution that’s easy to customise, steer well away from this one.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kenneth Johnson5.6y ago
As a tech-challenged volunteer webmaster I have spent hours trying to find a workaround for the inexplicable absence of the ability to sort users by last name in WordPress admin. There are multiple requests and discussions in the support forums, but no solution; WordPress doesn’t seem to care about this issue. Enter Sarah Giles and her Dynamic User Directory plugin. I installed it, chose the settings that seemed to make sense, and dropped the shortcode into a new page. I published it as Private, not wanting it to be accessible from the front end, and it solved my problem instantly, elegantly, and cheaply (free). I now know where to go if our small NFP veterans association ever has the need and the resources to hire a superb freelance web developer. Thanks, Sarah. This topic was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Kenneth Johnson.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lawcoach5.6y ago
I combined DUD with two of this developer’s premium plugins (Hide Directory Before Search and Meta Fields Search) to create a quick, affordable, and on-point solution for a client. When I ran into a problem (which was of my own creation), Sarah responded to my support request swiftly and efficiently.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ froekjaer5.7y ago
I have been looking for a plugin that does this for a long time. Finally found it! Using it with the Oxygen Builder – works like a dream.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ddrapeau5.8y ago
Our website was using a simple Ultimate Member Directory for the member list of a non-profit organization. It worked well enough but was kind of boring. Also, I had to periodically do an extract and create a “pretty to look at” PDF directory … which quickly got out of date. We just switched to Dynamic User Directory, with the “Multiple Directories” and “Directory Export” from the developer’s web page. Wow! Folk love the new directory format and are now eagerly updating their profiles! I created a special version of the directory for the management team and gave them the download capability. They now get an up to date CSV whenever they want … and I’m out of the loop! Great plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ GratefulDeb6.1y ago
Yes, it will pull member information, but the only link from the listing to the member is to their author page. None of our members are authors … they are simply members, so the link goes to a blank page, not the members profile. Disappointed.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence2 open vulnerabilities affect the current version (2.4). 1 of 3 disclosed are patched.
- 2026-10-07 CVE-2026-42720 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command Affects <= 2.4 No patch available
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Dynamic User Directory <= 2.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-10-21 CVE-2025-62982 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.3 Patched in 2.4
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.3
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress, Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,310 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("member directory", "memberpress", "User Registration" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-01-02 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-01 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-31 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1762 days in tier
- 2021-03-05 1K+ → 2K+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B - H Hide Member Visibility for BuddyPress 20+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress 100K+ installs · 3.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Dynamic User Directory into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/dynamic-user-directory" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Dynamic User Directory — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Dynamic User Directory: 1K+ active installs, 4.8★ (38 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/dynamic-user-directory
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.