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

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 “userswp”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 19. 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

UsersWP – ReCaptcha shows at wp.org #2 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 142 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #1 2 WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1472) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 FuseWP – WordPress User Sync to Email List & Marketing Automation (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign etc.) 2K+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Zoho Flow – No-Code Workflow Automation 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 SMS Alert – SMS Notifications & OTP Login, COD Verification, Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 AyeCode Connect 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 CBX Bookmark & Favorite 1K+ · 4.6★ (49) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 Payment forms, Buy now buttons, and Invoicing System | GetPaid 5K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #18 ↓4 8 too low 11 UsersWP – ReCaptcha 3K+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 UsersWP – Social Login 2K+ · 3.3★ (4) wp.org #3 9 too high 13 Cal.com 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑1 6 too high 14 MyStyle Custom Product Designer 50+ · 3.9★ (13) wp.org #19 ↓4 5 too low 15 TruAnon Identity 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 GeoBuddy 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 wpapps Press 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 AccessNow Spam Eater — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Tranzly™ – AI Translation & Multilingual 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 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.