Duo Two-Factor Authentication
by Duo Security · Login & Users
Also makes 1 other plugin · 5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Easily add Duo Security two-factor authentication to your WordPress website. Enable two-factor authentication for your admins and/or users.
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
C 59/100
Stale
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “authentication”, “authenticator” and “login” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
59 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 195K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,476 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2024-01-26Fans call it easy to set up and a solid MFA layer, while others report it suddenly failing, stale releases with no PHP 8 support, and developers who don't answer.
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: WP compatibility
Updated 512 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.0.18; the current branch is 6.8
3.7★ over 39 reviews, smoothed to 3.92★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Set "Tested up to" to WordPress 6.8; lagging the current branch costs search weight.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| authentication your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| authenticator your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| login your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| two factor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| username your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “authentication”, “authenticator” and “login” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.6K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
1.4y ago
latest release · v2.5.7 · 6 Jun 2025
36
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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Jun 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dsitechmktg2.8y ago
Love having this plugin because it adds an excellent layer of much needed security
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ChrisKnight3.8y ago
This used to be an awesome plugin. It offered seamless integration with Duo, blocking admin access to my site in the case of a password compromise or brute force attack. Sadly, it recently just stopped working. No Duo verification page, no errors in the logs; and the only way to get back into my site was ssh in and delete the plugin. Duo has apparently given up on the plugin, according to their github repo.They should just pull this plugin from listings.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sotte3.9y ago
Best 2FA addon for WordPress – if it wasn’t so neglected. No updates for half a year, no PHP 8. Too bad. Could have been so great. Now it’s out. This topic was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by sotte. Reason: Correction
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chueyise4.4y ago
I use Duo Security for many different apps and it works great. The negative reviews typically mean the person is not familiar with how to implement Duo Security correctly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ webdraco5.9y ago
The configuration and integration was super easy and I am using this for my Office 365 and VPN access as well. It’s great to be able to use a single MFA for multiple application.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ techguysa6.1y ago
Sure tiny bit of setting up to phone etc Works perfectly fine. the constant nagging up updates annoying but okay. Just wish on DUO site i can add my other administrator in without hassle
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ doubleb536.2y ago
Its a solid plugin for allowing MFA to be integrated into your website. It allows you to use the DUO app on your phone, call your phone or enter a passcode. Make sure to setup a Duo account before installing and activating the app. I would also suggest that you “test” the login after install while still logged into your website on another computer as a just in case. I am not sure why people are dumping on this plugin. I only have a few users and it seems to work fine and I am thankful they provided this app to the store.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rbizy6.4y ago
Do not use. A Huge wordpress logo is at the top of the Duo login screen for all to see. It cannot be removed. Support are pretty useless saying “well that is how it works” yet you wont find that on any of their documentation. Also, it lets you use SMS only as an option yet your users see a weird message asking them to “choose an option” (there is only one). Plus the entire wording of their web prompt is simply confusing – a horrible UX which they charge $3 USD per use for! I wish I never heard of Duo – has cost me a fortune and now need to unwind it from this project. Trust me – Abort – if you are using the wordpress plugin. This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by rbizy.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.5.7 WordPress 5.6 support 2.5.7
- — Version 2.5.6 Bug fixes 2.5.6
- — Version 2.5.5 Bug fixes 2.5.5
- — Version 2.5.4 Update Duo WebSDK to version 2.6 2.5.4
- — Version 2.5.3 Update Duo-Web-v2.js 2.5.3
- — Version 2.5.2 WordPress 4.5 support Updated iframe style to be consistent with documentation 2.5.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.6
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
4 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 "Easily add Duo Security two-factor authentication to your WordPress website. Enable two-factor authenticati..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,867 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("Authenticator", "login", "two factor", "username" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-14 4K+ → 3K+ down after 246 days in tier
- 2025-06-13 5K+ → 4K+ down after 195 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 6K+ → 5K+ down after 29 days in tier
- 2024-11-01 7K+ → 6K+ down after 104 days in tier
- 2024-07-20 8K+ → 7K+ down after 114 days in tier
- 2024-03-28 9K+ → 8K+ down after 1122 days in tier
- 2021-03-02 8K+ → 9K+ up after 732 days in tier
- 2019-03-01 7K+ → 8K+ up after 513 days in tier
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).
-
Duo Universal 2K+ installs · 3.9★ · 4 shared tags B -
SecSign 200+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags C -
Force Login With Email 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags - L Limit Login Attempts 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
-
WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Duo Two-Factor Authentication into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/duo-wordpress" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Duo Two-Factor Authentication — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Duo Two-Factor Authentication: 3K+ active installs, 3.7★ (39 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/duo-wordpress
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