wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “require login”

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 “require login”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

LWS Hide Login shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Nextend Social Login and Register places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 446 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #2 3

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #3 4

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5

Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too high 6

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8

WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #19 9 too low 11

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #18 7 too low 12

When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #10 ↓3 2 too high 13

Sidebar Login 9K+ · 4.5★ (78) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #8 ↑4 6 too high 15

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #14 2 too high 17

Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 4 too low 18

Custom Login 10K+ · 3.6★ (97) wp.org #17 1 too high 19

Melapress Login Security 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20

LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too high 21 R Require Login for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too low 22

Persistent Login 5K+ · 3.9★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 2 too high 23

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.