wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “access”
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 “access”, 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
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection shows at wp.org #11 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 94 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #3 ↓2 4 
Restricted Site Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (62)
wp.org #4 5 
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #14 ↑8 5 too low 10 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #12 ↑3 13 
PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access 10K+ · 4.3★ (66)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑6 1 too high 15 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #19 ↓6 4 too low 16 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too high 19 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 
Prevent Files / Folders Access 1K+ · 4.6★ (35)
wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 
Simple Page Access Restriction 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too high 23 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 24 
Country Access Blocker 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 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.