wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user access control”
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 access control”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 94 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #1 2 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #2 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #5 ↑3 6 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #21 ↑1 9 too low 13 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access 10K+ · 4.3★ (66)
wp.org #9 ↑4 5 too high 15 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #20 ↓2 5 too low 16 Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 9 too high 17 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too high 18 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
Restricted Site Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (62)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
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 #16 4 too high 21 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #17 ↑7 4 too high 22 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #23 ↓3 24 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓10 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.