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

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 captcha”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Kaya Login Captcha 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 8864 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 signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5018) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Anti-Spam by CleanTalk – Spam Protection Without CAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (3217) wp.org #2 ↑4 3

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.6★ (259) not PHP-current wp.org #3 ↓1 4

Captcha Code 100K+ · 3.9★ (35) wp.org #5 ↓1 6

Simple Login Captcha 10K+ · 3.9★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (475) wp.org #18 11 too low 8

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8864) wp.org #21 ↓6 12 too low 10

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11

Image CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 and WPForms by HookAndHook (DSGVO/GDPR) 70K+ · 4.7★ (49) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12

WP Limit Login Attempts 10K+ · 4.6★ (300) wp.org #20 ↑3 8 too low 13

Admin Custom Login 20K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #22 9 too low 14

SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #7 ↑1 9 too high 17

CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ · 3.2★ (269) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too low 18

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #16 ↑4 2 too high 19

Friendly Captcha for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #10 9 too high 20

All In One Login — Login Page Security and Customization for WordPress with Google reCAPTCHA, Social Login, Temporary Login, 2FA, and more. 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #14 ↑5 6 too high 21

Captcha by BestWebSoft – Advanced Spam Protection, Math & OCR-Friendly Captcha for Site Forms 10K+ · 4.1★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 B Blue Captcha 400+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Power Captcha reCAPTCHA 900+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #23 24

Kaya Login Captcha 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.