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Best Free WordPress Plugins for Authentication

15 plugins compared · Updated August 2026 · Authentication

All 15 Free only Premium only

Choosing a WordPress plugin for authentication comes down to a few things: whether it is still actively maintained, whether real users rate it well, and whether it does the specific job you need without dragging the rest of the site down.

We ranked 15 plugins using our WPScore, which weighs the user rating (adjusted for how many people actually rated it), how many sites run it, how recently it was updated, and which WordPress version it is tested against. 15 of them have enough public data to be scored; the rest are listed below the ranked block, clearly marked, rather than being given a number we cannot justify.

How this list is funded. Some links here earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not move anything up the list — the order comes from the WPScore, which is calculated from public ratings, install counts and update history. See the method.

At a glance

  1. 1. Kadence Security Best overall 89/100
  2. 2. WPS Limit Login 89/100
  3. 3. WP 2FA 87/100
  4. 4. Two Factor 86/100
  5. 5. Titan Anti-spam & Security 86/100
  6. 6. Active Directory Integration / LDAP Integration 85/100
  7. 7. Two Factor Authentication 84/100
  8. 8. JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 84/100
  9. 9. Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 84/100
  10. 10. Authorizer 84/100
  11. 11. Simple JWT Login 84/100
  12. 12. Google Authenticator 83/100
  13. 13. miniOrange 2FA 83/100
  14. 14. WP SAML Auth 83/100
  15. 15. Log in with Google 83/100
1 Kadence Security
Best overall Free by Nexcess

Kadence Security

Harden your site security with Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Vulnerability Scanner, Firewall, and more. Formerly iThemes Security.

4.6★
from 3,990 ratings
700k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
89

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
3 WP 2FA
Free by Melapress

WP 2FA

Get better WordPress login security; add two-factor authentication (2FA) for all your users with this easy-to-use plugin.

4.7★
from 177 ratings
100k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
87

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
4 Two Factor
Free by WordPress.org

Two Factor

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) using time-based one-time passwords (TOTP), email, and backup verification codes.

4.8★
from 208 ratings
100k+
active installs
Updated
Mar 2026
Tested to
WP 6.9.7
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
5 Titan Anti-spam & Security
Free by Themeisle

Titan Anti-spam & Security

Block spam comments, defend against login attacks, strengthen site security. Anti-spam, brute-force protection & two-factor authentication built in.

4.5★
from 369 ratings
50k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
7 Two Factor Authentication
Free by David Anderson / Team Updraft

Two Factor Authentication

Secure WordPress login with Two Factor Authentication - supports WP, Woo + other login forms, HOTP, TOTP (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)

4.4★
from 77 ratings
20k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
10 Authorizer
Free by Paul Ryan

Authorizer

Authorizer limits login attempts, restricts access to specific users, and authenticates against external sources (OAuth2, Google, LDAP, or CAS).

5★
from 20 ratings
5k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
11 Simple JWT Login
Free by Nicu Micle

Simple JWT Login

Enhance the WordPress REST API with JWT authentication for secure access by mobile apps, external sites, and third-party services.

5★
from 47 ratings
4k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
13 miniOrange 2FA
Free by miniOrange

miniOrange 2FA

Free 2FA plugin for unlimited users with Passkey, Google Authenticator, Email/SMS OTP, Push Notification & passwordless login.

4.5★
from 383 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org