wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “role based access”
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 access”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
ELEX WooCommerce Role Based Pricing shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1667 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.
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too low 4 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too low 10 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #11 ↓7 1 too low 11 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297)
wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #13 ↑3 14 
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #15 ↓3 16 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94)
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 ELEX WooCommerce Role Based Pricing 2K+ · 4.1★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 12 too high 20 
EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 
Prevent Files / Folders Access 1K+ · 4.6★ (35)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Role Based Redirect 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 
Role Based Content Restrictor 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.