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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “auth security”

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 “auth security”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

Zen Site Security shows at wp.org #15 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 70+ 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

Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 95 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #2 3 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #3 4 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #4 5 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #6 7 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #7 8 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 WP SAML Auth 7K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 JSON API Auth 600+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #10 11 Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 DoLogin Security 7K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 WebTotem Security 700+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Security Header Generator 400+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 HTTP Auth 6K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Malcure Security Suite 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Zen Site Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 LogixFast Auth 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 TrustSig Security 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.