wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “members”
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 “members”, 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
Team Members Showcase shows at wp.org #11 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #1 2 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #2 3 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #3 4 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #4 5 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑4 6 
Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67)
wp.org #6 ↑6 7 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #13 ↑4 6 too low 8 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #9 ↓3 1 too low 9 
Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #14 ↑5 4 too low 11 
Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53)
wp.org #7 ↓2 4 too high 12 
Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too high 13 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #19 ↑3 5 too low 15 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #20 ↓4 5 too low 16 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 17 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓4 2 too high 18 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too high 19 
Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
s2Member – Excellent for All Kinds of Memberships, Content Restriction Paywalls & Member Access Subscriptions 8K+ · 4.1★ (234) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
BuddyPress & BuddyBoss Member Profile Forms 300+ · 3.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Team Member Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too high 24 
WPCOM Member 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.