The Top 5 WordPress Passwordless Plugins for Safer Logins
Last Updated July 18, 2022
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Replacing or offering alternative means of login is a popular request for many WordPress users. Fortunately, there are plenty of means to accomplish this and one of the most popular is to provide a passwordless option. Essentially, a passwordless login uses an alternative solution for logging a person into a website that doesn’t require them to enter in or remember a complicated password. Typically, passwordless login uses email but other methods (such as texts) are possible as well. Providing an alternative to complicated passwords is popular with a lot of users. Let’s take a look at some WordPress passwordless login plugins you can use to add this functionality to your sites.
Popular WordPress Passwordless Plugins
All of the WordPress passwordless login plugins featured here today are available from WordPress.org. Some of them offer a paid, or premium, version as well but you can get started with them all for free. In addition, several rely on third-party services or APIs so be aware of what is required from you before you get started with one of these plugins. While the third-party services offer free plans to get started all of that could be subject to change in the future.
Passwordless Login
First, on our list, Passwordless Login is a plugin from the popular WordPress developers at Cozmoslabs. The plugin is simple. The regular login process, where you enter a username and password, is replaced with a basic form asking for a username or email address. Passwordless Login then takes that input and sends the user an email with a link. Following the link will log the user into your WordPress site. The link itself is generated alongside a 10-minute token that expires once it is clicked or when the time has elapsed. It should be noted this is not meant to replace the traditional WordPress login. This plugin works as an alternative that you can include on any page or post of your site using a provided shortcode.
Plugin Details
This product was initially published by its creator in October of 2014. It is presently on version 1.1.3 and last had a revision on February 26th, 2024. The most recent update runs on WordPress 6.4.4. This plugin is now running on over 1,000 WordPress websites. It has had over 23,450 downloads. There have not been many help requests from customers. Reviews for this plugin are very positive. Many of the end-users who left a piece of feedback found this plugin to be useful.
Trusona for WordPress
Trusona for WordPress markets itself as a plugin that lets you “authenticate people and not passwords.” This plugin works by replacing the WordPress login form with a simple QR code. Your users simply scan the code and then gain access to your site. It’s simple to install and get started and there are no costs even though the service is provided by Trusona directly. It’s worth mentioning that this particular WordPress passwordless login plugin does require users to install and use the Trusona mobile app. This might make it difficult to get widespread adoption but it does add an extra layer of security since it doesn’t rely on email or text.
Plugin Details
This plugin was first published by its creator in September of 2016. It is presently on version 1.6.3 and last had a revision on August 25th, 2023. The newest update works on WordPress 6.3.4. This plugin is now operating on over 700 WordPress sites. It has had over 16,100 downloads. There have not been many assistance requests from end-users. Reviews for this plugin are very positive. Many of the users who left a piece of feedback found Trusona for WordPress to be useful.
Magic Login
Next, Magic Login is very simple. After installation and activation, you will have an alternative login solution running on your WordPress site using magic links. These links are sent via email with a time limit that you can define to be however long you want. You also have the option to make this the default login method for your site. Or you can keep the traditional form and supplement it with a special URL that users can use to log in without a password. Magic Login is the first WordPress passwordless login on our list to also supply a special block you can use to insert a login form anywhere on your site.
Plugin Details
This plugin was first published by its owner in January of 2021. It is actively on version 2.1.2 and last experienced a change on April 8th, 2024. The latest edition functions on WordPress 6.5.2 and requires at least PHP 7.2 to run on your server. This plugin is now running on over 1,000 WordPress sites. It has had over 16,300 downloads. There have not been many assistance requests from users. Reviews for Magic Login – Passwordless Authentication for WordPress are very positive. Many of the end-users who left a piece of feedback found Magic Login – Passwordless Authentication for WordPress to be great.
Magic Login Pro is the paid and premium version of this plugin. This version of the plugin comes with extra security features and options to extend the free plugin’s functionality. Magic Login Pro comes with a CLI command so you can generate magic links from the command line. It also provides protection against brute force attacks by limiting login attempts and link generation. There are restriction checks you can include based on a user’s IP address or email domains as well. Finally, Magic Login Pro comes with the ability to customize the text in the email users receive and lets you redirect users to any page after a successful login.
Login by Magic
Login by Magic, as the name implies, relies on the third-party Magic solution for login. Magic, for those unfamiliar, provides passwordless authentication that is secured with crypto technology. That’s a whole lot of buzzwords for something seemingly so simple as passwordless login. This login plugin is simple to set up, once you have entered your Magic API credentials, and you can use it to replace both the standard WordPress login form and the login form for WooCommerce. If you are interested in web3 and looking for an outside-of-the-box approach to passwordless login then this might be the plugin for you.
Plugin Details
This piece of software was initially released by its owner in August of 2021. It is now on version 1.0.4 and last saw a change on August 29th, 2022. The most recent release runs on WordPress 5.8.9 and requires at least PHP 7.3 to function on your server. This plugin is actively operating on over 100 WordPress websites. It has had over 1,680 downloads. There have not been many help requests from customers. Reviews for this plugin are very positive. Many of the users who left a review found this plugin to be excellent.
Swoop
Finally, the last WordPress passwordless login plugin on our list is Swoop. This is another plugin that relies on a third-party service to handle login. What makes Swoop different is that it generates a unique email address that your user must email to log in. Once Swoop receives the email the user logs in automatically to WordPress. A single click is all you need for future logins once you have done the initial verification. This is a wildly different approach from all of the other plugins on our list. It’s a little more involved than simply clicking a link in an email but that uniqueness is part of the enhanced security it provides.
Plugin Details
This piece of software was first published by its owner in May of 2020. It is currently on version 1.4.5 and last had an update on July 12th, 2022. The most recent update functions on WordPress 6.0.8 and requires at least PHP 5.2.4 to run on your server. This plugin is currently working on over 30 WordPress sites. It has had over 3,320 downloads. There have not been many help requests from customers. Reviews for this plugin are very positive. Many of the users who left a piece of feedback found 1-Click Login: Passwordless Authentication to be excellent.
What’s the Best WordPress Passwordless Plugin for You?
There you have it. A nice list of WordPress passwordless login plugins you can install on your client’s sites. Passwordless logins are ideal for users who have trouble remembering passwords. They also help combat security problems by stopping people from re-using a password they are using somewhere else. Ideally, every WordPress user has a hard-to-guess password but we all know that isn’t always the case. Using a passwordless login option helps avoid your users from using simple to guess passwords. One of the plugins on our list is the right one for you and your clients. We suggest trying several of them to figure out which one is the perfect fit for you and your users.
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