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

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 “password hash”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 183 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #2 3 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too low 6 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #15 ↑4 8 too low 8 WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too low 9 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Google Authenticator 20K+ · 4.3★ (135) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 A Add Password Field for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #3 ↑1 9 too high 13 SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too high 14 Invisible reCaptcha 70K+ · 4.3★ (133) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 DoLogin Security 7K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #9 ↑2 7 too high 17 Wise Chat 4K+ · 4.4★ (105) wp.org #23 ↓2 6 too low 18 PHP Native Password Hash 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑1 11 too high 19 Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 RSFirewall! 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Passwords Evolved 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24 MyFast Login Guard – Login Protection & Server Info 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑5 5 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.