wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “generate password”
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 “generate password”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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
Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1550)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #3 4 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #4 5 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #13 7 too low 7 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too low 8 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 
Generate PDF using Contact Form 7 4K+ · 4.7★ (40)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #21 10 too low 12 
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60)
wp.org #8 4 too high 13 
Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Password Policy Manager 6K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #5 9 too high 15 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #19 ↑5 4 too low 16 
WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #6 10 too high 17 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #23 ↓4 5 too low 19 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 
MASS Users Password Reset 600+ · 4.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #10 11 too high 22 
Emergency password reset 800+ · 3.4★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site 200+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 15 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.