Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “biometric”

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 “biometric”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Registration Email Blocker shows at wp.org #12 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Login With Ajax – Fast Logins, 2FA, Redirects 10K+ · 4.6★ (167) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too low 2 WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Secure Passkeys 2K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5 miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 Biometric Authentication 100+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #1 ↑7 5 too high 7 Identity Verification for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Capsquery Facial Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Social Login, Passkeys, Magic Link & Email OTP – Passwordless Login by VentraConnect 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Duo Universal 2K+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 CS BioLogin – Seamless Biometric Authentication 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑8 4 too high 12 Clockinator Lite 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Shufti | Identity Verification Service 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Advanced Passkeys for Secure Login 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓2 5 too high 15 Guard Dog 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 CWW Login Studio Lite – Login Security & Templates — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 AgeVerif 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 Registration Email Blocker 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 STRABL – A checkout solution 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 Bye Bye Passwords 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 XYZ Age Verification — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too high 22 Amwal Checkout 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑2 5 too high 23 AwareID – Biometric Identity Authentication 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 Multipasskey — Deploy enterprise-level, passwordless security — · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑3 3 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.