wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “authorization users”
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 “authorization users”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
SCIM User Sync/Provisioning shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #1 2 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #2 3 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too high 5 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #5 6 
RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199)
wp.org #9 ↓2 10 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #12 ↑3 13 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #23 ↓4 7 too low 17 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222)
wp.org #21 ↑3 3 too low 19 
SAML IDP (Identity Provider) – Login with Website Users 600+ · 4.8★ (62)
wp.org #18 ↑3 1 too high 20 
WPGet API – Connect to any external REST API 10K+ · 5.0★ (32)
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53)
wp.org #22 ↑1 23 SCIM User Sync/Provisioning 200+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 
One to one user Chat by WPGuppy 500+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.