wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “change capabilities”
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 “change capabilities”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 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.
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #1 2 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #20 12 too low 9 
PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #18 ↓3 6 too low 13 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #16 ↑5 2 too low 15 
Change Username 4K+ · 4.6★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 11 too high 16 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #24 ↓8 8 too low 17 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #21 ↑2 3 too low 19 
Brozzme DB Prefix & Tools Addons 9K+ · 4.7★ (58)
wp.org #19 ↓2 20 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑4 7 too high 21 
Change WordPress Admin Logo 400+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #7 15 too high 23 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 
Change Add to Cart Button Text for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) 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.