wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “auto login”

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 “auto login”, 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

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password shows at wp.org #5 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 26 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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 signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #2 3

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #3 4

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #4 ↑1 5

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too low 7

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 ↑6 1 too high 9

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #8 ↑9 1 too high 10

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #11 ↓2 12

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #18 ↑5 6 too low 13

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #21 ↓3 8 too low 14

Simple JWT Login – Allows you to use JWT on REST endpoints. 4K+ · 5.0★ (47) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15

Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current wp.org #19 ↑5 4 too low 16

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #12 5 too high 18

Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19

Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20

Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓6 5 too high 22

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23

Persistent Login 5K+ · 3.9★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24

Auto Login for Sakura Rental Server 20K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #24

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.