PHP Native Password Hash

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 82% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 1.0 Initial release. 1.0
2. — Version 1.1 Fixed a bug for PHP 5.5 users whose PHP core lacks the time-safe hash_equals function, resulting in a fatal error. This version introduces a polyfill to add that functionality for PHP 5.5 users. Users with newer PHP vers 1.1
3. — Version 1.2 This plugin now requires WordPress minimum version 3.9.2 the least, and uses the hash_equals() function polyfill provided by WordPress core. 1.2
4. — Version 1.4 Skipped 1.3 version because a WIP Argon2i support conflicted with the bug fix (#2). Argon2i support will be added in a future release. Fixes an error with password validation when the PasswordHash class from WordPress co 1.4
5. — Version 1.5 Fix a security issue with the password verification when updating from a password_hash()-compatible hashing algorithm to another. Thanks to Steve Thomas (Sc00bz on GitHub). 1.5
6. — Version 2.0 This is a major rewrite of the plugin. This version still requires PHP 5.5, but WordPress 5.2+ now requires PHP version 5.6 to function, and this is enforced at plugin level as well. Core functionality of the plugin is e 2.0

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.2.2

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-08-01 2K+ → 1K+ down

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).

• P Password bcrypt 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
• Theme My Login 60K+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B
• PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
• Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A
• Frontend Reset Password 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B
• Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for PHP Native Password Hash into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

PHP Native Password Hash: 1K+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/password-hash