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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “role based”

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 “role based”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

MaxtDesign Role-Based Pricing for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #10 ↑7 7 too low 4 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #12 ↑2 8 too low 5 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 ELEX WooCommerce Role Based Pricing 2K+ · 4.1★ (14) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #22 ↓3 14 too low 9 Role Based Redirect 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too low 11 WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 Role Based Pricing for Woo by Meow Crew 2K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #2 ↓1 10 too high 13 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #19 ↑5 6 too low 14 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 Role Based Content Restrictor 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑2 9 too high 16 Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Role Based Hide Adminbar 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too high 19 Payment Gateways by User Roles for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Taxonomy/Term and Role-based Discounts for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Product Prices by User Roles for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 Menu By User Roles 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Role Based Pricing for WooCommerce – Smart Solutions for Dynamic Pricing 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 MaxtDesign Role-Based Pricing for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 15 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.