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

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 failed”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

LWS Hide Login shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Nextend Social Login and Register places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 446 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★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489) wp.org #2 3

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4

LoginWP (Formerly Peter's Login Redirect) 80K+ · 4.8★ (503) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too low 7

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

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #10 ↑12 2 too low 9

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #14 ↑3 4 too low 11

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 too high 12

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14

Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #8 6 too high 15

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16

Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current wp.org #18 ↑2 2 too low 17

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓6 4 too low 19

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20

Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #19 1 too high 21

LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22

Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too high 23

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24

Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #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.