wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user order”
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 order”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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.
Ranked above its merit
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 25 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 #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 913 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
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 #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #4 5 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #8 ↑4 9 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #20 ↓1 11 too low 10 
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 #9 ↑5 1 too high 11 
Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #15 ↑7 1 too low 15 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 
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 #16 ↓3 3 too high 20 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓7 8 too high 21 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
WP Term Order 6K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓4 2 too high 24 
WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 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.