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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multi factor authentication”

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 “multi factor authentication”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #2 3 miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #12 ↓2 13 Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645) wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 Active Directory Integration / LDAP Integration 4K+ · 4.9★ (211) wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 9K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↑1 12 too high 18 Invisible reCaptcha 70K+ · 4.3★ (133) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #22 ↓3 3 too low 20 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 Export Single Post Page 3K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Media Library File Size 6K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 Enable Turnstile (Cloudflare) for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Duo Universal 2K+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.