wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “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 “user”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content shows at wp.org #18 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 938 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1281 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.
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #1 2 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 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 #6 ↓4 1 too low 6 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #7 ↑7 8 User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #16 ↓8 8 too low 9 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑5 2 too high 11 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #9 ↑5 2 too high 12 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓6 14 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #11 ↑9 3 too high 15 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #15 ↑4 16 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #17 ↑2 1 too low 17 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #20 ↓11 2 too low 19 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #19 ↓6 20 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too high 23 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 
Simple User Avatar 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.