wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user points”
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 points”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 7322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #2 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 4 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 
Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472)
wp.org #11 ↓10 3 too low 9 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too low 13 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #20 ↓5 5 too low 16 
Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 
UserFeedback – Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds 200K+ · 4.8★ (309)
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #21 ↑2 3 too low 19 
Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 
User Notes 800+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 13 too high 22 
Maximum Products per User for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 
XT Points & Rewards for WooCommerce 60+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 24 
User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.