wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “capability manager”
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 “capability manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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
Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 40K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 53 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 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.
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #1 2 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #3 4 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #4 5 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #11 ↑7 4 too low 8 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
File Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (202)
wp.org #15 ↑3 2 too low 14 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (286)
wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 
License Manager for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (147)
wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too low 19 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #20 ↓3 21 
Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓8 1 too low 22 
Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58)
wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too high 23 Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce 40K+ · 3.9★ (53) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓4 9 too high 24 
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓3 8 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.