wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user restriction”
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 restriction”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 20. 2 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 Profile Restriction shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 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 #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 913 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #1 2 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #2 3 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 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 #5 ↑3 2 too high 8 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #14 6 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 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Login IP & Country Restriction 8K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 
Simple Page Access Restriction 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 WP User Profile Restriction 500+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #9 10 too high 20 
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 #20 ↓3 21 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Page and Post Restriction 1K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23 
Block User Account 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Manage User Columns 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.