10 Best Two Factor Authentication via Email Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Two Factor Authentication via Email sits at #3 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Two Factor Authentication via Email
- 1
WP 2-step verification
Closest match4.2 (27) 1,000+ active installsAdds an extra layer of security to your Wordpress Account. Same as Google 2-step verification.
#6 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. 1,000+ installs against 9,000+, last updated October 10, 2025.
- 2
miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator)
4.5 (384) 10,000+ active installsFree 2FA plugin for unlimited users with Passkey, Google Authenticator, Email/SMS OTP, Push Notification & passwordless login.
#2 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. A similar number of installs, last updated 12 days ago.
- 3
3.7 (39) 3,000+ active installsEasily add Duo Security two-factor authentication to your WordPress website. Enable two-factor authentication for your admins and/or users.
#5 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. About a third of the installs, no update since June 6, 2025.
- 4
4.0 (1) 2,000+ active installsEasily add Duo authentication to your WordPress website. Enable multi-factor authentication for your admins and/or users.
#7 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. About a quarter of the installs, last updated January 6, 2026.
- 5
4.8 (208) 100,000+ active installsEnable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) using time-based one-time passwords (TOTP), email, and backup verification codes.
#1 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. About 11 times the installs, last updated March 27, 2026.
- 6
4.3 (135) 20,000+ active installsGoogle Authenticator for your WordPress blog.
#4 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. About 2.2 times the installs, last updated 15 days ago.
- 7
0.0 (0) 200+ active installsUse WordPress authentication and permissions in external React applications via secure REST API endpoints.
#10 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. 200+ installs against 9,000+, last updated June 3, 2026.
- 8
Kadence Security
Paid version availableKadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection
4.6 (3,990) 700,000+ active installsHarden your site security with Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Vulnerability Scanner, Firewall, and more. Formerly iThemes Security.
#9 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. About 78 times the installs, last updated July 27, 2026.
- 9
4.6 (202) 300,000+ active installsLimit rate of login attempts, including by way of cookies, for each IP. Fully customizable.
#8 in the WordPress.org Authentication Plugins ranking. About 33 times the installs, no update since April 4, 2023.
- 10
4.4 (77) 20,000+ active installsSecure WordPress login with Two Factor Authentication - supports WP, Woo + other login forms, HOTP, TOTP (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)
Shares the 2FA, two factor tags on WordPress.org. About 2.2 times the installs, last updated 25 days ago.
Two Factor Authentication via Email against each of them
Head to head on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.
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Two Factor Authentication via Email vs WP 2-step verification9,000+ vs 1,000+ installs · 5.0 vs 4.2
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Two Factor Authentication via Email vs miniOrange 2FA9,000+ vs 10,000+ installs · 5.0 vs 4.5
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Two Factor Authentication via Email vs Duo Two-Factor Authentication9,000+ vs 3,000+ installs · 5.0 vs 3.7
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Two Factor Authentication via Email vs Duo Universal9,000+ vs 2,000+ installs · 5.0 vs 4.0
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Two Factor Authentication via Email vs Two Factor9,000+ vs 100,000+ installs · 5.0 vs 4.8
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Two Factor Authentication via Email vs Google Authenticator9,000+ vs 20,000+ installs · 5.0 vs 4.3
Switching from Two Factor Authentication via Email: common questions
What is the best alternative to Two Factor Authentication via Email?
WP 2-step verification is the closest match: it shares the Authentication Plugins top 10 with Two Factor Authentication via Email and has 1,000+ active installs with a 4.2 out of 5 rating.
Which Two Factor Authentication via Email alternative has the most users?
Kadence Security, with 700,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Two Factor Authentication via Email alternative is rated highest?
Two Factor, rated 4.8 out of 5 by 208 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Two Factor Authentication via Email alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Two Factor Authentication via Email score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Two Factor Authentication via Email on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
WP 2-step verification is the closest match to Two Factor Authentication via Email by the data we track, and Kadence Security has the widest reach with 700,000+ active installs. miniOrange 2FA shipped the most recent release, on August 26, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
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What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.