wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user 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 “user login”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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
Disable User Login shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Temporary Login Without Password places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 1549 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Login as User: See the Site as Any User 30K+ · 4.8★ (41)
wp.org #4 ↑4 2 too high 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↑7 2 too low 8 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549)
wp.org #17 ↓4 7 too low 11 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #13 ↑4 2 too low 12 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓1 7 too high 13 
LoginWP (Formerly Peter's Login Redirect) 80K+ · 4.8★ (503)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37)
wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too high 19 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Disable User Login 6K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 12 too high 21 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #22 23 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓2 24 
Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.