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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide 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 “hide password”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 plugins are 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.

A

Ranked above its merit

Add Password Field for Contact Form 7 shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #1 2 WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #2 3 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #3 4 PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271) wp.org #4 5 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Easy Hide Login 20K+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Frontend Reset Password 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Hide Price Until Login 1K+ · 3.5★ (24) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 A Add Password Field for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Expire User Passwords 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Simple Password Protect 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 9 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.