wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “first 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 “first login”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Login rebuilder shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 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

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1077 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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★ (5040) wp.org #1 2

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #2 3

LoginWP (Formerly Peter's Login Redirect) 80K+ · 4.8★ (503) wp.org #3 4

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #4 5

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1550) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7

Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #5 ↑4 2 too high 8

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (447) wp.org #8 9

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (477) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) wp.org #19 ↓2 7 too low 13

Custom Login Page Customizer 80K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too low 14

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #13 1 too high 15

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16

Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17

When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #15 ↑5 6 too high 22

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↑1 23 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #12 11 too high 24

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #21 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.