wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “authentication keys”
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 “authentication keys”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too low 8 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #20 ↓2 10 too low 11 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #17 ↑6 6 too low 12 
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
Captcha Code 100K+ · 3.9★ (35)
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 
Salt Shaker 7K+ · 4.7★ (27)
wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too high 16 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 
Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88)
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 
WP OAuth Server (OAuth Authentication) 3K+ · 3.8★ (41) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 9K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area 800+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 13 too high 24 
AI Agent by SiteGround 1M+ · 1.7★ (98) suspect reviewsclosure riskhost-installed base
wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.