wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user report”
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 report”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 6 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
Sales Report for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #1 2 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #2 3 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
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 #4 5 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #5 6 
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
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 #6 ↑6 1 too high 8 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #21 ↑3 8 too low 14 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #13 ↑6 1 too high 15 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #16 ↓1 17 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓4 3 too high 18 
Ninjalytics: Sales Reports & Order Export for WooCommerce and EDD 6K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Sales Report for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 9 too high 21 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 
Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
MainWP Child Reports 100K+ · 4.3★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 N Ni WooCommerce Sales Report By User Role 90+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.