wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “brute force attack”
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 “brute force attack”, 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
Stop XML-RPC Attacks shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 783 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
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 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #3 4 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #4 5 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 
Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 
Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (430)
wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15 
Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039)
wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17 
Titan Anti-spam & Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA & Spam Filter 50K+ · 4.5★ (370) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #18 ↑2 19 
WP Limit Login Attempts 10K+ · 4.6★ (300)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 
WPForce Logout – WordPress User Login Logout Management Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (66)
wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #22 23 
Login Lockdown & Protection 100K+ · 4.3★ (61)
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Stop XML-RPC Attacks 6K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #11 13 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.