wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “application passwords”
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 “application passwords”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20.
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
YLabs AI Assistant Connector shows at wp.org #18 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Disable Application Passwords 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #6 ↑2 4 too high 11 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 
WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #22 ↓7 5 too low 18 
WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 
Unbloater 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 YLabs AI Assistant Connector 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #18 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.