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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “two factor auth”

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 “two factor auth”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Notakey Two Factor extension shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 334 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5008) wp.org #1 2 Two Factor 100K+ · 4.8★ (208) wp.org #2 3 Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77) wp.org #3 4 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) wp.org #4 5 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (391) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (257) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth 3M+ · 3.7★ (2407) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (32) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Orion SMS OTP Verification. 200+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 2K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 WPVibe – WordPress MCP Server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT & Any AI Agent via MCP 40K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 DoLogin Security 7K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 Advanced IP Blocker 2K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 WebTotem Security 800+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 TextMe SMS 500+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Guard Dog 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 Notakey Two Factor extension — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 Keyless Auth – Login without Passwords 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 Zamok – Security and Site Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 BaseCloud Shield 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.