wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user search”
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 search”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 of the top 20.
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
WP Search with Algolia shows at wp.org #15 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1562 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #1 2 
Search Exclude 50K+ · 4.8★ (218)
wp.org #2 ↑4 3 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #6 ↑6 1 too low 6 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 
Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #9 ↑5 2 too high 12 Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1562)
wp.org #16 ↓11 4 too low 13 
Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 60K+ · 4.8★ (248)
wp.org #12 ↓4 1 too high 14 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537)
wp.org #14 15 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350)
wp.org #17 ↓4 2 too low 16 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #13 ↑7 3 too high 17 
Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175)
wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too low 18 
ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165)
wp.org #22 ↓3 4 too low 19 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 WP Search with Algolia 7K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑8 7 too high 23 
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36)
wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too high 24 
Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ · 5.0★ (30)
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.