wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin approval”
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 “admin approval”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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
IP Address Approval shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 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.
Order Approval for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (200)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #7 4 too low 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #14 9 too low 6 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 
PublishPress Checklists: Pre-Publishing Approval Checklist – Validate Post Requirements 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
ACF Frontend Admin by DynamiApps 8K+ · 4.5★ (160)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (808)
wp.org #17 ↓4 6 too low 12 
Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375)
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (584)
wp.org #10 3 too high 14 
Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460)
wp.org #18 ↓4 4 too low 15 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 
User Approval Manager 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #2 14 too high 17 
Instant Approval Payment Gateway with Instant Payouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #3 14 too high 18 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
WP Ultimate Review 60K+ · 3.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑2 11 too high 21 IP Address Approval 100+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #5 16 too high 22 
Easy Post Submission – Frontend Posting, Guest Publishing & Submit Content for WordPress 4K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 23 
Dokan Order Approval 10+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓7 1 too low 24 
Easy File Upload & Approval – A Simple File Submission & Review System 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑3 12 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.