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

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 time”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

One Time Login shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 40K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Login Page Customizer places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 476 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

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #2 3

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #3 4

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #17 9 too low 9

WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #12 2 too low 11

When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #9 2 too high 12

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #8 5 too high 14

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #19 5 too low 15

Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #21 6 too low 16

WP Last Login 10K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #11 6 too high 18

Real-Time Find and Replace 70K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #15 4 too high 20

Login No Captcha reCAPTCHA 50K+ · 4.5★ (63) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 3 too high 22 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #14 8 too high 23

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24 O One Time Login 40K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #6 18 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.