Limit Login Attempts
by Automattic · Login & Users
Also makes 78 other plugins · 18.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Limit rate of login attempts, including by way of cookies, for each IP. Fully customizable.
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 57/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
200K+
≈300K estimated
Momentum
+23%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “authentication”, “login” and “security” 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.
57 health vs 61 average across 2,204 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →8.6%
of downloads still active
At least 200K of 2.3M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,477 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.
Removal-risk signals
45/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
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 1307 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.2.15; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 202 reviews, smoothed to 4.50★
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1307 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.
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 | ||
| login your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 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
- “authentication”, “login” and “security” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 176.9K · 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
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
3.6y ago
latest release · v1.7.2 · 4 Apr 2023
20
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 “200K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band today and the previous band took 16 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 300K.
Install history since 2 Sep 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ wiitguru1.6y ago
Thanks, Automattic!!!! This plugin has thwarted over 100 hacking attempts on my website in the last few months! I won’t operate without this plugin!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Guido2.9y ago
I absolutely hate bloated plugins, so I love this one. It’s simple and works as expected. Guess it’s wise to use a plugin such as this one, against brute force attacks. Guido
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ doreenhawdon3.1y ago
Does what it says on the tin. Like another similar plugin before it became bloatware. The only feature I would request is the ability to send notifications to another email address, I like to keep my admin email clean.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ inakijm5.8y ago
Se lo pone más dicícil a los hackers que quieren acceder a tu blog ya que les limita el número de accesos.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wroot6.5y ago
Would be good to get new versions and fix possible security issues (if any), but it seems to still work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ purpslisfeedb6.6y ago
Works very well
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ brightvesseldev7.1y ago
We had initial issues and tried again and it is working better. This topic was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by brightvesseldev.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ naimansari7.1y ago
Awesome Plugin
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.7.2 Security fixes. 1.7.2
- — Version 1.7.1 This version fixes a security bug in version 1.6.2 and 1.7.0. Please upgrade immediately. “Auth cookies” are special cookies set at login that authenticating you to the system. It is how WordPress “remembers” that you ar 1.7.1
- — Version 1.7.0 Added filter that allows whitelisting IP. Please use with care!! Update to Spanish translation, thanks to Marcelo Pedra Updated Swedish translation Tested against WordPress 3.3.2 1.7.0
- — Version 1.6.2 Fix bug where log would not get updated after it had been cleared Do plugin setup in ‘init’ action Small update to Spanish translation file, thanks to Marcelo Pedra Tested against WordPress 3.2.1 1.6.2
- — Version 1.6.1 (WordPress 3.0+) An invalid cookie can sometimes get sent multiple times before it gets cleared, resulting in multiple failed attempts or even a lockout from a single invalid cookie. Store the latest failed cookie to mak 1.6.1
- — Version 1.6.0 Happy New Year Tested against WordPress 3.1-RC1 Plugin now requires WordPress version 2.8+. Of course you should never ever use anything but the latest version Fixed deprecation warnings that had been piling up with the 1.6.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.7.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Limit Login Attempts <= 1.7.1 - Authenticated(Subscriber+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-04-10 CVE-2023-1861 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.7.1 Patched in 1.7.2
- 2023-04-06 CVE-2023-1912 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.7.1 Patched in 1.7.2
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.2.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 73 languages, 39 at 90% or more
Plus 49 more locales with partial translations.
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
3 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 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 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 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,110 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 3 tags appear in the text ("authentication", "security" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-11-01 300K+ → 200K+ down after 479 days in tier
- 2025-07-10 400K+ → 300K+ down after 388 days in tier
- 2024-06-17 500K+ → 400K+ down after 304 days in tier
- 2023-08-18 600K+ → 500K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-08-17 500K+ → 600K+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2023-08-13 600K+ → 500K+ down after 245 days in tier
- 2022-12-11 700K+ → 600K+ down after 193 days in tier
- 2022-06-01 800K+ → 700K+ down after 205 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).
-
WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Two Factor 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Limit Login Attempts into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/limit-login-attempts" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Limit Login Attempts — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Limit Login Attempts: 200K+ active installs, 4.6★ (202 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/limit-login-attempts
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