wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multiple admin”
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 “multiple admin”, 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
WC Multiple Email Recipients shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 4833 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #2 3 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #3 4 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #4 5 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114)
wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too low 6 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #10 ↑4 3 too low 8 M Multiple Roles 5K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #16 ↓7 7 too low 10 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 
Address Book & Multiple Shipping for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14 WC Multiple Email Recipients 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #6 8 too high 15 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160)
wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too low 16 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
Multiple Domain Mapping on Single Site 6K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
InfiniteWP Client 200K+ · 4.4★ (177)
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑4 6 too high 20 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 
Multiple Post Passwords 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓4 1 too low 23 
WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 
HM Multiple Roles 1K+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.