Plugin profile · observed daily since 02 Aug 2026
Passwords Evolved
Active installs400+ rounded
Current authorCarl Alexander
Owner changesNone while we have been watching
Last release20 months ago 23 Mar 2025
Support— no recent threads
Releases on record13
Rating5.0 /5 · 2
Added to directory02 Mar 2018
Requires WP5.2
Requires PHP5.6
Version lag0.3 behind
Tested up toWP 6.8.0 WordPress is now on 7.1
PluginsPedia reports published data and observable changes. It does not rate plugin quality or safety, infer intent, or make recommendations. These are observations rather than a verdict. How this works
Ownership
Held by Carl Alexander throughout, with no change of ownership observed since daily tracking began on 02 Aug 2026.
Full observed history, including every field transition
Committing accounts
Read from the plugin’s public release log, so these predate this registry. A committing account is not an owner. Thirty accounts commit to WooCommerce and it has never changed hands.
| Account | Releases | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| carlalexander | 13 | 02 Mar 2018 | 23 Mar 2025 |
This registry did not observe a transfer; it read these names off a public log. Whether that reflects a change of ownership is not something the directory publishes.
Adoption
How widely the plugin is installed, and what the people running it think of it. WordPress.org rounds install figures to one significant digit, so they describe an order of magnitude rather than a headcount.
Small but established: 400+ active installs. Enough sites to show it works in the wild, too few for adoption to say much on its own.
30 downloads a day over the last 7 days, rising 26% against the 7 days before. Downloads are counted exactly and without a ceiling, so they show movement the rounded install figure cannot.
11 Sep 2026peak 58/day31 Oct 2026
Install band fell to 400+ on 31 Oct 2026, from 500+. Both figures are rounded to one significant digit, so the size of the change is not knowable from them.
Daily record
Every field we record, one column per observation. Fields that never moved are named once rather than repeated across every column. A row of identical numbers would be padding.
| Field | 18 Oct | 19 Oct | 20 Oct | 21 Oct | 22 Oct | 23 Oct | 24 Oct | 25 Oct | 26 Oct | 27 Oct | 28 Oct | 29 Oct | 30 Oct | 31 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downloads that day | — | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 35 | 22 | 22 | 33 | 33 | 22 | 33 | 33 | 35 |
| Active installs | 1,000+ | 1,000+ | 1,000+ | 1,000+ | 1,000+ | 800+ | 500+ | 500+ | 500+ | 500+ | 500+ | 500+ | 500+ | 400+ |
Unchanged throughout: ratings total (2) · version (1.4.0) · support threads (0) · threads resolved (0)
91 days of observation, most recent 14 shown.
Maintenance
When it was last released, and how far its declared compatibility has drifted from current WordPress.
Added to directory8.5 years ago 02 Mar 2018
Requires WP5.2
Requires PHP5.6
Version lag0.3 behind
Is anyone still maintaining this?
- No release in 595 days (1.6 years). The last was 23 Mar 2025.
- Declares compatibility only up to WordPress 6.8.0, while 7.1 is current. The author has not confirmed it runs on the last 3 releases.
- Carl Alexander publishes no other plugin in the directory, so there is no wider activity to compare against.
A plugin that does one thing correctly may need no changes for years; a long gap is not, by itself, evidence of neglect.
History
Everything dated that this registry holds about the plugin, most recent first. Releases carry the author’s own release date; everything else is dated to when it was observed.
Entries marked from the release log predate this registry, and daily observation began 02 Aug 2026. They were read from the plugin’s public SVN history after the fact, not watched as they happened. Everything else was observed directly.
- 24 Oct 202615 days agoInstall band moved to 500+Bands are rounded to one significant digit, so the size of the change is not knowable.
- 23 Oct 202616 days agoInstall band moved to 800+Bands are rounded to one significant digit, so the size of the change is not knowable.
- 14 Sep 20262 months agoDormancy threshold crossed540 days since the last release (2025-03-23). Dormancy is a maintenance observation, not a judgement about the owner.
- 02 Aug 20263 months agoInstall band moved to 1,000+Bands are rounded to one significant digit, so the size of the change is not knowable.
- 02 Aug 20263 months agoFirst observed by PluginsPediaDaily snapshots of this plugin’s directory record begin here. Everything above this line is observed; anything before it comes from fields the API itself reports.
- 23 Mar 202520 months agoVersion 1.4.0 released
- 23 Mar 202520 months agoVersion 1.3.4 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 27 Oct 20242 years agoVersion 1.3.3 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 19 Apr 20224.5 years agoVersion 1.3.2 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 09 Apr 20224.5 years agoVersion 1.3.0 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 09 Apr 20224.5 years agoVersion 1.3.1 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 21 Mar 20215.5 years agoVersion 1.2.0 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 04 Jan 20206.5 years agoVersion 1.1.4 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 29 Apr 20188.5 years agoVersion 1.1.3 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 21 Mar 20188.5 years agoVersion 1.1.2 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 07 Mar 20188.5 years agoVersion .1.1.1 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 07 Mar 20188.5 years agoVersion 1.1.1 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 02 Mar 20188.5 years agoVersion 1.1.0 releasedfrom the release logCommitted by carlalexander.
- 02 Mar 20188.5 years agoAdded to the WordPress.org directoryReported by the plugin API as the date this plugin was added.
What we know, and what we don’t
Everything on this page in one place, including the gaps, so that nothing here is mistaken for a clean bill of health.
What we know
- It has been held by Carl Alexander for all 91 days we have observed it.
- It was last released 20 months ago (23 Mar 2025).
- Its author declares it tested up to WordPress 6.8.0; WordPress is now on 7.1.
- WordPress.org reports 400+ active installs.
- It carries 2 ratings, averaging 5.0 out of 5.
What we don’t know yet
- No forum threads were open in the two months we measure, so how responsive its support is cannot be said. One new thread starts answering that.
- No release in the 91 days we have been watching, so how often it ships cannot be said. Every further day of silence tells you more.
What can’t be known
- Whether the quiet is neglect or a finished plugin. That is the author’s intent, which no dataset records, and a stable plugin can need no changes for years.
Every record on this site, this one included, works under the same limits. We read what WordPress.org publishes about a plugin, never the plugin’s own code, so nothing here says whether a plugin is well built or safe. Install counts reach us already rounded; a change smaller than a band step doesn’t show. We don’t track security advisories yet. For anything older than our first observation we rely on the plugin’s public release log, where one exists. What this registry can and cannot see
Similar plugins
This plugin has not been updated in a long time. These carry the same tags and describe themselves in the same terms, so they are a starting point for a replacement, not a recommendation. Check them yourself.
Two Factor
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) using time-based one-time passwords (TOTP), email, and backup verification codes.
100,000+ installs4.7★ (209)updated 28 Sep 2026
250× the installs
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
Harden your site security with Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Vulnerability Scanner, Firewall, and more. Formerly iThemes Security.
700,000+ installs4.6★ (3,992)updated 14 Oct 2026
1,750× the installs
Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area
Secure your WordPress site with easy and effective basic authentication. Restrict access, monitor attempts, and enhance security.
800+ installs5.0★ (3)updated 29 Sep 2026
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL)
Easily improve site security with WordPress Hardening, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Login Protection, Vulnerability Detection and SSL certificate.
3,000,000+ installs4.9★ (8,869)updated 26 Oct 2026
7,500× the installs
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention
WordPress login security with brute force protection, Two-factor authentication (2FA/MFA), firewall, IP/country blocking, and login monitoring
1,000,000+ installs4.8★ (1,488)updated 23 Sep 2026
2,500× the installs
Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email
Enable one-click login with this WordPress Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) plugin, utilizing email for added security.
9,000+ installs5.0★ (4)updated 21 Oct 2026
23× the installs
Grouped from the tags each author chose for their own plugin, so the grouping is only as good as those tags.
Reach out about this record
Corrections, missing context, or anything else about Passwords Evolved: a person reads every submission, and corrections get a reply within 5 business days.