Better Passwords
by bettersecurity · Security
Also makes 4 other plugins · 390+ installs across the portfolio →
Stop use of a bad passwords, including those in the Have I Been Pwned? breached password database
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 54/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈290 estimated
Momentum
-3%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “better” for “have i been pwned”. “better” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “have i been pwned” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
54 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 56.8K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 764 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 764 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
31
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 24d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 24d
0.0
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| have i been pwned | #8 | #9 | down 2 |
| pwned your tag | #9 | #8 | 0 |
| better your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| haveibeenpwned your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| passwords your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
7 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “better” for “have i been pwned”. “better” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “have i been pwned” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 4.3K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
6.0y ago
latest release · v1.8 · 10 Nov 2020
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4.4 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 2 Dec 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Rik Lewis2.1y ago
Perfect for my needs, as it doesn’t attempt to enforce overly complex password rules, it just allows me to set a minimum length, and checks new passwords against Have I Been Pwned to make sure it’s not been previously included in a breach. Can also store passwords using stronger hashing algorithms than the WordPress default.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ RayBernard6.0y ago
I like this plugin because it is simple in its design, easy to use, and strong in its password protection. I highly recommend it. Cybersecurity is a fast moving domain, and this plugin smartly used a standards-based approach that makes it easy to keep your website password security to the latest levels of available protection. This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by RayBernard. This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by RayBernard.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Robert Seyfriedsberger7.3y ago
I use this plugin on all of my sites – it not only checks if a used password is included in a haveibeenpwned.com leak, but also forces WordPress to use more secure hashing algorithms for saving passwords. Highly recommended!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.5.3
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
0 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 791 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("better", "HaveIBeenPwned", "security" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2022-05-28 100+ → 200+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Password Strength Settings for WooCommerce 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
Expire User Passwords 3K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Hostinger Tools 3M+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Passwords into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-passwords" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Passwords — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Passwords: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-passwords
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