wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “login button”

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 “login button”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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.

Ranked above its merit

Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 5K+ 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

Nextend Social Login and Register places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 446 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. 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

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too low 4

Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too low 7

LoginWP (Formerly Peter's Login Redirect) 80K+ · 4.8★ (503) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #3 ↑1 5 too high 9

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11

WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #12 ↓6 1 too high 14

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #21 5 too low 17

Custom Login Page Customizer 80K+ · 4.8★ (410) not PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓2 6 too low 18

Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #16 2 too high 19

Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 13 too high 20

AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Login No Captcha reCAPTCHA 50K+ · 4.5★ (63) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #17 7 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.