wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “restrict downloads”
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 “restrict downloads”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 738 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
How this rank is calculated
Each plugin's merit score multiplies these inputs together: how recently it was updated, how current its "tested up to" WordPress version is, its install base (log scale, capped at 10 million), its support thread resolution rate, and a rating score. The rating score weights the star average by review volume against a sitewide prior, then scales it by the lower bound of the share of 4 and 5 star reviews. A plugin with 3.7 stars from tens of thousands of reviews can still outscore a 4.9 with a few dozen, because the small sample carries less certainty.
A health factor between 0.4 and 1.15 then adjusts that score for what wp.org's search can't see: PHP fatals or failed activations on a test install, PHP and WordPress compatibility, memory and page-speed footprint, suspicious review patterns, closure risk, and a large install base with very few reviews. Clean, adopted plugins earn a small lift.
A keyword ranking starts from wp.org's search order for the term, weighting each position by 1 divided by its place, then applies the merit correction and health factor above. Relevance to the keyword stays in the result, so the order can differ from the all-categories list on /best, which scores plugins with no search term.
Hover a row to see the main reason for its position.
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (592)
wp.org #1 2 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94)
wp.org #3 ↑1 wp.org ranks it 1 place below merit 3 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #5 ↓2 wp.org ranks it 2 places below merit 4 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Restrict for Elementor 900+ · 4.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #2 wp.org ranks it 3 places above merit 6 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #14 ↑2 wp.org ranks it 8 places below merit 7 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #12 ↓3 wp.org ranks it 5 places below merit 8 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1,281)
wp.org #15 ↓2 wp.org ranks it 7 places below merit 9 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (185)
wp.org #11 ↑3 wp.org ranks it 2 places below merit 10 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #16 ↓1 wp.org ranks it 6 places below merit 11 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4,835)
wp.org #17 wp.org ranks it 6 places below merit 12 
Free Downloads WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (85)
wp.org #13 ↓1 wp.org ranks it 1 place below merit 13 
Restrict – membership, site, content and user access restrictions for WordPress 2K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #8 wp.org ranks it 5 places above merit 14 
SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (289)
wp.org #22 ↓3 wp.org ranks it 8 places below merit 15 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #24 wp.org ranks it 9 places below merit 16 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938)
wp.org #18 ↓1 wp.org ranks it 2 places below merit 17 
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #23 wp.org ranks it 6 places below merit 18 
Advanced Datepicker – Restrict Date for Elementor Forms 900+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #6 wp.org ranks it 12 places above merit 19 
Shared Files – File Upload & Download Manager 3K+ · 4.4★ (34)
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for Contact Form 7 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 wp.org ranks it 13 places above merit 21 
Restrict WP Upload Type 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 wp.org ranks it 11 places above merit 22 
Quick Download Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #20 wp.org ranks it 2 places above merit 23 Advanced Datepicker – Restricts Date for WPForms 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 wp.org ranks it 14 places above merit 24 
Restrictions for BuddyPress 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 wp.org ranks it 3 places above merit Merit ranking caps the install boost at 10M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted 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.