wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sms 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 “sms authentication”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.

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

TextMe SMS shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ 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

Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 524 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★ (5040) wp.org #1 2

WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #2 3

miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (Passkey, OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

WSMS (formerly WP SMS): SMS Notifications, OTP Login and WooCommerce SMS 7K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6

Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8

Brevo – Email, SMS, Web Push, Chat, and more. 100K+ · 4.1★ (284) wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9

Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10

Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #19 ↑5 9 too low 11

Orion SMS OTP Verification. 200+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #12 1 too high 14

OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15

Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16

Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #16 17

BulkGate SMS Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #7 10 too high 18

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too high 19

TextMe SMS 500+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #6 13 too high 20

Alpha SMS 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 12 too high 21

NotifSMS – SMS Notifications OTP & 2FA for WordPress & WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.4★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22

Klaviyo 100K+ · 2.8★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Gravity Forms – OTP Verification (SMS/EMAIL) 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 5 too high 24

Authyo Authentication and Notification for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #24

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.