wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “automatically 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 “automatically login”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Login or Logout Menu Item shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 23 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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★ (5038) 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

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #3 4

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #4 5

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #6 2 too high 9

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #19 9 too low 11

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #14 3 too low 12

Custom Login Page Customizer 80K+ · 4.8★ (410) not PHP-current wp.org #13 1 too low 13

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #15 1 too low 15

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #12 3 too high 16

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #11 7 too high 19

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #16 4 too high 21

Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22

Simple Login Notification 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓1 24

Persistent Login 5K+ · 3.9★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current 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.