wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user management”
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 management”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 of the top 20. 5 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.
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #2 3 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #5 ↓2 6 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #6 ↑4 3 too high 10 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 12 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #12 ↑2 13 
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 #13 ↑5 14 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #19 ↑3 5 too low 15 
ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 
WP Approve User 3K+ · 4.2★ (42)
wp.org #15 ↑6 1 too high 17 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too high 19 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 
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 #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 
WP Media Category Management 6K+ · 4.7★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 
Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓4 1 too high 23 
Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Block User Account 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current 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.