wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “lost password”

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

Login, Registration and Lost Password Blocks shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPS Hide Login places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2111 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. 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

hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #2 3

Frontend Reset Password 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #3 4

User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #9 ↑12 3 too low 7

Captcha Code 100K+ · 3.9★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #4 5 too high 10

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #15 ↓3 5 too low 11

Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #22 9 too low 14

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15

Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #21 ↓6 5 too low 17

SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18

La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too low 19

SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓6 5 too high 20

WP Login Form 7K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too high 21

mosparo Integration 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓3 8 too high 22

Power Captcha reCAPTCHA 900+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site 100+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 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.