wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom 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 “custom login”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Temporary Login Without Password places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1549 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

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #3 4

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #4 ↑1 5

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #5 ↓1 6

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7

Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Custom Login Page Customizer 80K+ · 4.8★ (410) not PHP-current wp.org #10 2 too low 9

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #20 ↑2 11 too low 10

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 too low 11

Custom Login 10K+ · 3.6★ (97) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #24 11 too low 14

Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18

White Label – WordPress Custom Admin, Custom Login Page, and Custom Dashboard 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21

Easy Hide Login 20K+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too high 22

Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓5 10 too high 23

WIP Custom Login 700+ · 3.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓6 1 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.