wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “registered only”
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 “registered only”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
BuddyPress Members Only shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 26 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Quiz Maker by AYS places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 601 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 R Registered Users Only 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #9 5 too low 5 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓2 8 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #16 8 too low 9 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10 
Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #3 7 too high 11 
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon and Landing Page Builder 400K+ · 4.3★ (874)
wp.org #15 ↑5 3 too low 13 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #23 ↓7 10 too low 14 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #19 ↓5 5 too low 15 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #17 18 BuddyPress Members Only 900+ · 3.7★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 12 too high 19 
Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑3 5 too high 20 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓11 4 too low 21 
WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
TR Register Only 30+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
Never Moderate Registered Users 20+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 12 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.