wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “passwords”
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 “passwords”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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
No Weak Passwords shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #2 ↑5 3 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #5 ↓2 2 too low 4 
Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549)
wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 
Disable Application Passwords 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 too high 8 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓4 3 too low 14 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Multiple Post Passwords 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too high 17 
Expire User Passwords 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑2 13 too high 18 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19 
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓5 9 too high 20 
PDF Ink Lite – Free PDF Watermark & Password Protection 2K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Password Policy Manager 6K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too high 22 N No Weak Passwords 400+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑2 16 too high 23 
Passwords Manager 70+ · 5.0★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 too high 24 A Add Password Field for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑2 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.