wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “avatars”
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 “avatars”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 738 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Local Avatars 100K+ · 4.6★ (89)
wp.org #1 2 
Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too low 7 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 ↓3 10 too low 8 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #19 ↓2 11 too low 9 
Simple User Avatar 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #20 ↓5 10 too low 11 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #18 ↓2 7 too low 12 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #16 ↑7 4 too low 13 
WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 
Leira Letter Avatar 6K+ · 4.9★ (28)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #22 ↓4 7 too low 16 
Basic User Avatars 20K+ · 4.7★ (42)
wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 
User Profile Picture 40K+ · 4.6★ (59)
wp.org #23 ↓4 6 too low 18 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #4 15 too high 20 
User Profile Picture – Custom Local Avatars 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #5 15 too high 21 
Advanced User Avatar | Custom Profile Picture Uploader for WordPress, WooCommerce, and BuddyPress 300+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑10 7 too high 22 B BP Local Avatars 100+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 10 too high 23 
SysBasics Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Live My Account Customizer 7K+ · 4.2★ (33) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 
Easy Author Avatar Image 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #10 14 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.