wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “create 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 “create login”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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 rebuilder shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MaxButtons – Create buttons places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1093 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.

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

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #3 4

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #7 8

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #4 4 too high 9

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #10 11

MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #17 5 too low 13

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #18 4 too low 15

Custom Login Page Customizer 80K+ · 4.8★ (410) not PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16

Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #6 11 too high 18

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #13 7 too high 21

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #21 22

LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

WP Login Form 7K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #22 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.