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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sync users”

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 “sync users”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

User Sync shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2470 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Remote Users Sync 6K+ · 4.9★ (73) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 FlexTable – Data Table Sync with Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #6 7 Media Cloud Sync 1K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #23 ↓2 15 too low 9 User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #21 ↓1 11 too low 11 WP Multisite User Sync/Unsync 600+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Sync Post With Other Site 3K+ · 3.9★ (29) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Air WP Sync – Airtable to WordPress 1K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 MyWorks Sync for WooCommerce & QuickBooks Online 5K+ · 4.7★ (75) wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 CiviCRM Member Sync 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Product Sync for WooCommerce – Supplier API Import, Dropshipping & Inventory Sync 400+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #20 ↑4 3 too low 18 Stock Sync for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 SCIM User Sync/Provisioning 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 WP Sync for Notion – Notion to WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 CiviCRM Profile Sync 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 User Sync 200+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 Import Users & Customers with Meta | WP Ultimate CSV Importer Add-on 5K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #11 13 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.