wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “device authentication”
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 “device authentication”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 35 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #1 2 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #2 3 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #3 4 
miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (Passkey, OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (398)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #9 ↑1 10 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #14 ↑6 2 too low 13 
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2052)
wp.org #21 ↑3 5 too low 17 
Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88)
wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Secure Passkeys 2K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too high 22 
Capsquery Facial Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
Fluistr Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
CoCart JWT Authentication 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 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.