wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user post”
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 post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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
User Posts Limit shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 13 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 #16. 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 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #5 ↑4 1 too high 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too low 8 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #9 ↓3 1 too low 9 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #12 ↓7 3 too low 10 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #16 ↓5 4 too low 13 
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 #8 ↑9 5 too high 14 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #13 ↑7 1 too high 15 
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #21 ↓7 6 too low 16 User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 10 too high 17 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #19 ↓6 2 too low 18 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #17 ↑5 3 too high 21 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #23 ↓4 1 too low 23 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #24 ↓9 1 too low 24 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.