Passwords Evolved
by Carl Alexander · Security
A reimagining of WordPress authentication using modern security practices.
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 · Few reviews
Active installs
400+
≈500 estimated
Momentum
-27%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “evolved” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
59 health vs 66 average across 1,775 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.3%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 30.6K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,059 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.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 587 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.0, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 587 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 23d
9%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 23d
-0.7
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 your tag | #3 | #5 | down 1 |
| evolved | #4 | #13 | 0 |
| pwned | #4 | #3 | 0 |
| authentication your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| password your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
14 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 3 listed. 11 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
- Add “evolved” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.4K · 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
1.6y ago
latest release · v1.4.0 · 23 Mar 2025
13
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% 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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band today and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 500.
Install history since 1 Feb 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Austin Ginder4.4y ago
This simple protection check is an absolute must. Every WordPress website can benefit. Highly recommend that WordPress core adopt this functionality.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Knut Sparhell5.1y ago
This seems to work very well, at least no issues – immediate or long term. A client user was very surprised that “WordPress” could know their password was “pwned”, but thankful for the reminder. Beware that if you deactivate this plugin, users have to reset their passwords. So just keep it – for the enhanced security through a modern and relatively simple plugin. Should be added to core, IMO.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 languages, 5 at 90% or more
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 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 Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,424 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 4 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-31 500+ → 400+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2026-10-24 800+ → 500+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-23 1K+ → 800+ down after 184 days in tier
- 2026-04-22 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1296 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 1K+ → 2K+ up after 105 days in tier
- 2022-06-21 300+ → 1K+ 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).
-
Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A - L Limit Login Attempts 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
-
WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Two Factor 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Login by Auth0 10K+ installs · 3.4★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Passwords Evolved into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/passwords-evolved" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Passwords Evolved — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Passwords Evolved: 400+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/passwords-evolved
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