wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “secure admin access”
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 “secure admin access”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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
SiteGuard WP Plugin shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 600K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #2 3 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #15 ↑4 7 too low 9 
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #9 10 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↑2 1 too low 12 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 
Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 8 too high 14 
Secure Passkeys 2K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #7 7 too high 15 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #23 ↓2 8 too low 16 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑4 2 too low 19 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
Prevent Files / Folders Access 1K+ · 4.6★ (35)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-currenthost-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #10 14 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.