wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple registration”
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 “simple registration”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Simple Registration for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 17 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #5 6 
RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459)
wp.org #6 7 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #13 ↑9 3 too low 11 
Registrations for the Events Calendar – Event Registration Plugin 7K+ · 5.0★ (103)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 
AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121)
wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16 
Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓5 4 too low 20 Simple Registration for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 
No-Bot Registration 2K+ · 4.4★ (28)
wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too high 22 S Simple Membership Custom Messages 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 S Simple Membership Form Shortcode 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too high 24 
Custom Fields Account Registration For Woocommerce 700+ · 3.7★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 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.