wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multiple roles per user”
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 roles per user”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 20 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2614 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #1 2 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1277)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (830)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 M Multiple Roles 5K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 100K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #5 6 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (68)
wp.org #6 7 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (258)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1657)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5010) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (535) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2614)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (424)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Maximum Products per User for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (70) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.7★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.3★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Currency per Product for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.1★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Product Prices by User Roles for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.