wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user info”
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 info”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Last Modified Info places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 856 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #1 2 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #2 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #5 6 WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (856)
wp.org #11 ↓4 5 too low 7 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #8 ↓4 9 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #12 ↑5 2 too low 11 
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #15 ↓6 4 too low 12 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29)
wp.org #17 ↓1 18 
JSON API User 1K+ · 3.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Server Info – System Health & Diagnostics Suite 3K+ · 3.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 
Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 14 too high 22 
User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Lead info with country for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too high 24 
Extension Info Exporter 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 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.