wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “restrictions”
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 “restrictions”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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
Restrictions for BuddyPress shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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.
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #1 2 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #2 3 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 
Country Based Restrictions for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 6 too high 11 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #12 13 
Login IP & Country Restriction 8K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #9 4 too high 14 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #23 ↓6 9 too low 15 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑11 2 too high 16 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓5 18 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too low 19 
Simple Page Access Restriction 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 
Page and Post Restriction 1K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too high 21 
Restrict – membership, site, content and user access restrictions for WordPress 2K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #21 22 Restrictions for BuddyPress 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 12 too high 23 
WP User Profile Restriction 500+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
SureMembers – Membership & Content Restriction Plugin 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 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.