wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user reports”
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 reports”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
MainWP Child Reports shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility places #5 on merit, 5.0★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
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 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #6 7 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too high 9 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 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 #20 ↑2 7 too low 14 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938)
wp.org #14 ↓3 15 MainWP Child Reports 100K+ · 4.3★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #3 12 too high 16 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #13 ↑5 3 too high 17 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 
PowerBI Embed Reports 500+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29)
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.