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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block 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 “block users”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 plugins are 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

GamiPress – Block Users shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin places #7 on merit, 4.4★ from 1445 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #1 2 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #5 ↓2 6 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #7 ↑3 1 too low 7 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #10 11 User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #24 ↓3 10 too low 15 Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Map Block for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #23 ↓12 5 too low 19 GamiPress – Block Users 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 Block User Account 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 User Profile Picture – Custom Local Avatars 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 4 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.