wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user privacy”
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 privacy”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 74 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 #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 913 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #1 ↑8 2 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #3 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84)
wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
Embed Privacy 10K+ · 4.9★ (26)
wp.org #6 ↓4 2 too high 9 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #17 ↓2 7 too low 11 
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #14 ↑5 1 too low 14 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 
TermsFeed AutoTerms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Consent, GDPR, CCPA, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, Cookies Policy, EULA 70K+ · 4.7★ (246)
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 
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 #12 ↑2 5 too high 18 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #21 ↑3 3 too low 19 
Koko Analytics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics 70K+ · 5.0★ (245)
wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓5 4 too high 21 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #15 ↑7 6 too high 22 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 too low 23 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 
Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓9 2 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.