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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “member plugin”

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 “member plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

WP Team – WordPress Team Member Plugin shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 716 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #1 2 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #2 3 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #3 4 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #4 5 Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #5 6 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #6 7 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #16 ↑3 7 too low 10 Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #21 ↑2 9 too low 13 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15 WP Plugin Manager – Deactivate plugins per page 3K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships 8K+ · 3.1★ (100) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Memberful – Membership Plugin 1K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 CiviCRM Member Sync 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Team Member Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 WP Team – WordPress Team Member Plugin 500+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #7 13 too high 21 Login Widget for Ultimate Member 600+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 WPCOM Member 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Team Builder Member Showcase 1K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 MemberKits – Ultimate Member for Elementor 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 9 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.