wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “active user”
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 “active user”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture shows at wp.org #9 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 41 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Import and export users and customers places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 259 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.
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #3 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #4 5 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Next Active Directory Integration 2K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #11 12 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #12 13 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Active Directory Integration / LDAP Integration 4K+ · 4.9★ (211)
wp.org #15 16 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #16 17 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94)
wp.org #21 22 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
WP Approve User 3K+ · 4.2★ (42)
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Expire User Passwords 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 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.