wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user name”
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 name”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Smart Custom Display Name shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 913 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #1 2 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #2 3 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too high 7 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #7 8 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #18 ↑4 5 too low 14 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Name Directory 2K+ · 4.9★ (81)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #17 18 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
WPC Name Your Price for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938)
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Simple User Avatar 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Smart Custom Display Name 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.