wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “token 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 “token 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
Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #1 ↑4 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 
JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53)
wp.org #4 ↓2 2 too high 7 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #14 ↑4 5 too low 10 
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 #19 ↓5 9 too low 11 
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #7 ↑4 4 too high 12 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #22 ↑2 10 too low 13 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #15 ↑6 16 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Firebase Authentication 400+ · 4.0★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑3 6 too high 19 
Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 
Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88)
wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 
WP OAuth Server (OAuth Authentication) 3K+ · 3.8★ (41)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 
Age Verification & Identity Verification by Token of Trust 20+ · 4.3★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓6 4 too high 23 
Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 9K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 13 too high 24 Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area 800+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.