wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user count”
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 count”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Visitor Count by MrStar shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #1 2 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #2 3 
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 #3 ↑4 4 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #5 6 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑6 1 too low 12 
Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓2 6 too high 13 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14 
WP Approve User 3K+ · 4.2★ (42)
wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15 
User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #24 ↓2 7 too low 18 B bbP topic count 300+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too high 20 
User Notes 800+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 
Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23 Visitor Count by MrStar 400+ · 4.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 
Block User Account 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 6 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.