wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user menu”
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 menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 2 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Menu By User Roles shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #1 2 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #2 3 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #3 4 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #7 ↑10 1 too high 9 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↑2 10 
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #12 ↑6 13 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #13 ↓4 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #15 ↑6 16 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓6 2 too low 17 
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 1 too high 18 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #19 ↓6 1 too low 19 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #21 ↓6 1 too low 21 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #20 ↓6 1 too high 22 
Login or Logout Menu Item 20K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓5 2 too low 23 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 24 Menu By User Roles 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.