wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin role”
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 role”, we agree with wp.org 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
Remove admin menus by role shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin Custom Login places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #4 5 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #5 6 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #7 8 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #9 10 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #20 9 too low 12 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Remove admin menus by role 8K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #6 8 too high 15 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #16 17 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Admin Notices Manager 10K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #19 20 
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Simple Client Dashboard 2K+ · 4.5★ (26)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Role Based Pricing for Woo by Meow Crew 2K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.