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

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 date”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Login rebuilder shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 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

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 154 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. 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

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #5 ↑3 3 too low 3

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4

WP Last Login 10K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5

When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too high 6

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #3 ↑3 4 too high 8

پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130) wp.org #7 ↑3 1 too high 9

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #8 ↓4 2 too high 11

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #20 ↓4 7 too low 14

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #21 ↓2 7 too low 15

Sidebar Login 9K+ · 4.5★ (78) wp.org #15 16

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #24 8 too low 17

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #13 ↑8 4 too high 18

Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too high 19

Simple JWT Login – Allows you to use JWT on REST endpoints. 4K+ · 5.0★ (47) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓4 2 too high 21 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑7 11 too high 22

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓4 6 too high 23

Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too high 24

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.