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

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 token”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20.

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 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 #23 on merit, a gap of 17 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

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 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

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #1 2

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #2 3

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6

Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 L Login rebuilder 20K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #3 4 too high 8

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #13 5 too low 9

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #14 5 too low 10

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑5 5 too high 11

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #15 4 too low 12

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #19 ↑3 7 too low 13

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16

OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #24 ↓6 8 too low 17

WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #21 ↑3 4 too low 18

Simple JWT Login – Allows you to use JWT on REST endpoints. 4K+ · 5.0★ (47) wp.org #16 3 too high 20

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #12 8 too high 21

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22

Passwordless Login 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 O One Time Login 40K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↓1 17 too high 24

Login Me Now – Passwordless, Magic Link, OTP & Social Login for WordPress 600+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 2 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.