wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user profiles”
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 profiles”, 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
WP User Profiles shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 19 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #1 2 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #2 3 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #15 7 too low 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 Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑7 3 too high 11 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
User Profile Picture 40K+ · 4.6★ (59)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
Bulk Edit and Create User Profiles – WP Sheet Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #16 ↑3 1 too low 16 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #17 18 
Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓6 5 too low 20 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 WP User Profiles 200+ · 4.3★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 
WP User Profile Restriction 500+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
User Profile Picture – Custom Local Avatars 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too high 24 
Memberships and User Profiles for WooCommerce – ProfileGrid WooCommerce Integration 300+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 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.