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

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 session”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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.

Ranked above its merit

Persistent Login shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 26 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 154 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #1 2

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

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6

Loggedin – Session Manager, Limit Concurrent Logins & Force Logout 8K+ · 4.9★ (112) wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #13 ↑3 5 too low 9

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too low 10

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #6 6 too high 13

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #9 ↑11 4 too high 14

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too high 15

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too high 16

Persistent Login 5K+ · 3.9★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↑2 9 too high 17

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #16 ↓9 1 too high 18

Simple Login Notification 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓8 19

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 2 too low 20

Simple Login Captcha 10K+ · 3.9★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑2 21

Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Sessions 900+ · 4.8★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 1 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.