wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user updates”
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 updates”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Disable Updates – Updates Manager, Disable Automatic Updates, Disable All Updates shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 9K+ 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
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1281 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.
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #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 too high 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #6 7 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 8 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #8 9 User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too low 10 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #9 ↑6 1 too high 11 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓2 12 
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 #10 ↑8 2 too high 13 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too low 15 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too low 17 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too high 18 
WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35)
wp.org #13 5 too high 19 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22 Disable Updates – Updates Manager, Disable Automatic Updates, Disable All Updates 9K+ · 4.5★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 10 too high 23 
Simple User Avatar 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 
Disable Updates for WordPress Core, Plugins and Themes 9K+ · 4.8★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 10 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.