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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “switch user”

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 “switch user”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

View User Metadata shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ 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

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 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 User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #1 2 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) 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 #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 WP User Switch 1K+ · 4.1★ (9) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65) wp.org #10 ↓3 2 too low 9 UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too low 10 Tax Switch for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #6 ↓2 4 too high 11 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #22 ↓4 11 too low 12 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Theme Switcha – Easily Switch Themes for Development and Testing 7K+ · 4.4★ (63) wp.org #13 ↓4 1 too high 15 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #24 ↓7 9 too low 16 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #17 ↑3 1 too high 19 User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too high 20 Freesoul Switch Theme: load a different theme on specific pages 100+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 Block User Account 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too high 22 User Role Switcher 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too high 23 View User Metadata 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 BytNexo User Switcher 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.