wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user panel”
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 panel”, 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
Mediavine Control Panel shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ 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 #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 913 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. 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 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too high 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
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 #6 ↑5 1 too low 6 
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too high 8 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too high 10 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11 
Flexible Editor Panel for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (74)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
White Label CMS 200K+ · 4.7★ (114)
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too low 19 Mediavine Control Panel 10K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 11 too high 20 
Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
WP User Merger 300+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
View User Metadata 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.