WP User Groups
by John James Jacoby · Login & Users
Also makes 28 other plugins · 331.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Group WordPress users with custom taxonomies and terms.
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
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈650 estimated
Momentum
+33%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “profile”, “taxonomy” and “term” 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.
86 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.4%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 42.4K 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 4 releases 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
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 21 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
41
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
31%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.5
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 groups | #2 | #8 | down 1 |
| groups | #8 | #22 | down 1 |
| user group | #3 | #15 | 0 |
| group your tag | #17 | #21 | down 2 |
| term group | #6 | #16 | 0 |
| plugin groups | #13 | #23 | up 1 |
| user avatar | #22 | #22 | down 4 |
| profile your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| taxonomy your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| term your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| user your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
15 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 8 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “profile”, “taxonomy” and “term” 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 1.2K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v2.7.1 · 16 Sep 2026
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 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 1 Nov 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Knut Sparhell5.2y ago
When you need to group your many users beyond just their role, this is the pluging. Works very well, properly coded.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Galen Gidman9.9y ago
I’ve been using this for a fairly complex WP build and I’ve been very impressed. The back-end is easy for users and there’s a nice API for devs. Two thumbs up.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris Reynolds10.6y ago
This plugin is tremendously solid. Used it to build a complex system of content teams who could only create or edit content within their own team. WP User Groups handled the “teams” of users which corresponded with taxonomy terms associated with the content. Works like a charm. Plugin itself is lightweight and simple to grasp.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alxh2810.7y ago
After installing but NOT activating this plugin, other plugin we have called Appointments+ completely vanished from our backend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Julian P11.0y ago
I am a fan of John’s plugin. This plugin works great
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bill11.1y ago
Dead-simple to get set up and start using. Works great in combination with BuddyPress too. Filter site members into as many different groups and/or types as you need in the admin backend. I haven’t yet tried doing anything front-end wise with it, but I’m sure there’s potential there for devs. If, like me, you need to filter down long lists of members for occasional admin tasks, this is for you.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.7.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2018-05-11 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 2.1.0 Patched in 2.1.1
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.7
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 1 at 90% or more
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 26 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 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 850 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "taxonomy" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-17 700+ → 600+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-16 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-15 700+ → 600+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-04-11 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-10 700+ → 600+ down after 303 days in tier
- 2025-06-11 800+ → 700+ down after 193 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 900+ → 800+ down after 154 days in tier
- 2024-06-29 1K+ → 900+ down after 3 days in tier
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).
-
WP User Avatars 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Term Management Tools 10K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
Meks Smart Author Widget 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C -
Taxonomy Images 8K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP Term Order 6K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Taxonomy Switcher 2K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP User Groups into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-user-groups" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP User Groups — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP User Groups: 600+ active installs, 4.3★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-user-groups
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