wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user roles management”
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 roles management”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Premmerce User Roles shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 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 Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #8 ↓3 3 too low 6 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #20 11 too low 10 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #19 ↓1 8 too low 12 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
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 ↑4 2 too high 15 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too high 16 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #18 ↑4 2 too low 17 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #17 18 
EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too high 19 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 4 too low 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 #21 ↓4 1 too low 21 
User Role by BestWebSoft – Add and Customize Roles and Capabilities in WordPress 3K+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 10 too high 22 
WP Media Category Management 6K+ · 4.7★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 Premmerce User Roles 600+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #6 17 too high 24 
Hide Category by User Role for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.3★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 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.