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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “api otp authentication”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “api otp authentication”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

WALoops OTP Login shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1039 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #1 2 Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77) wp.org #2 3 OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 WSMS (formerly WP SMS): SMS and OTP for WordPress and WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Orion SMS OTP Verification. 200+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039) wp.org #17 ↓2 11 too low 7 Email OTP Authenticator – Login, Register & 2FA 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 too high 8 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259) wp.org #15 ↑5 7 too low 9 Google Authenticator 20K+ · 4.3★ (135) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 OTP Login & Register Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (44) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #12 13 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #21 ↓3 8 too low 14 W WP-OTP 100+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Happy Coders OTP Login for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 NotifSMS – SMS Notifications OTP & 2FA for WordPress & WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.4★ (18) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 Social Login, Passkeys, Magic Link & Email OTP – Passwordless Login by VentraConnect 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↓3 1 too high 18 NXT Cloud Chat – CRM, Inbox & OTP Login 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 TextMe SMS 500+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 O OneCode Login 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 WALoops OTP Login 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑3 10 too high 22 Authyo Authentication and Notification for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too high 23 Amadast Shipping 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Paymob for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.