wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “logins”

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 “logins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

All In One Login shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 60K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 35 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

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★ (1488) wp.org #2 3

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #3 4

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #4 5

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 9

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too low 12

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #15 ↓4 3 too low 13

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too low 14

Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #21 ↓4 7 too low 15

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #19 4 too low 16

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #7 ↑3 10 too high 18

LoginWP (Formerly Peter's Login Redirect) 80K+ · 4.8★ (503) wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19

Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current wp.org #18 ↑6 1 too high 20

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21

Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #22 1 too low 22

WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #12 ↑2 11 too high 24

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 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.