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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “usernames”

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 “usernames”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Edit Usernames shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 R Restrict Usernames Emails Characters 1K+ · 4.5★ (25) wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Username Changer 40K+ · 4.3★ (77) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too high 7 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #18 ↑3 8 too low 11 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #22 ↓4 9 too low 14 Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55) wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too low 15 Login Lockdown & Protection 100K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 E Easy Username Updater 10K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 SMTP Mailer 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #23 ↓4 5 too low 19 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Change Username 4K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #7 ↓1 13 too high 21 WP Edit Username 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #21 ↑3 1 too high 23 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #19 ↑3 4 too high 24 Edit Usernames 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.