wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “easy username updater”
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 “easy username updater”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 6 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
Comment Blacklist Updater shows at wp.org #2 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Feed Them Social – Social Media Feeds, Video, and Photo Galleries places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 639 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.
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (725)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8865)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 6 
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Better Click To Share – Shareable Quote Boxes for X (Twitter) 6K+ · 4.8★ (48)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 4.9★ (39)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Feed Them Social – Social Media Feeds, Video, and Photo Galleries 20K+ · 4.7★ (639)
wp.org #19 9 too low 11 Comment Blacklist Updater 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 9 too high 12 
AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
Easy Custom Auto Excerpt 6K+ · 4.5★ (151) not PHP-currentclosure risk
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
BestWebSoft's Twitter 900+ · 4.6★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #11 6 too high 18 
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (384) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
Sliced Invoices – WordPress Invoice Plugin 5K+ · 4.6★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34)
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
WP Advanced Ticket System, Elite Support Helpdesk 100+ · 4.0★ (58)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
CoCart – Headless REST API for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.9★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Vanilla Bean Slack Hooker 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
All-in-One Utilities 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.