wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “access admin menu”
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 admin menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 2 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
Ollie Menu Designer shows at wp.org #18 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #2 3 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #8 ↑2 9 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297)
wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #14 15 
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓5 5 too high 19 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too high 20 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Advanced Sidebar Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (37)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.