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

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 shortcode”, 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

WP Login Form shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 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

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

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #6 ↑9 1 too low 6

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑14 4 too high 10

Sidebar Login 9K+ · 4.5★ (78) wp.org #10 11

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #21 10 too low 12

Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #11 ↓5 3 too high 15

Snippet Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too high 16

Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17

Sky Login Redirect 2K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19

OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓15 5 too low 20

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓5 4 too high 21

WP Login Form 7K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22

Passwordless Login 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 23

Persistent Login 5K+ · 3.9★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓1 6 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.