Adam Greenwell

Guard Dog is a focused WordPress security plugin for the login door, authentication, sessions, and practical access workflows. With custom login URLs, two-factor authentication, passkeys, CAPTCHA providers, access control, and activity logging, Guard Dog helps site owners tighten the parts of WordPress that get bothered most.
Key Features:
<ul>
<li>Custom Login URLs – Hide your wp-admin and wp-login.php from attackers</li>
<li>Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – TOTP-based authentication with recovery codes</li>
<li>Social Login (OAuth) – Sign in with Google, Microsoft, or Apple</li>
<li>Passkeys – Use device-based biometric authentication like Face ID, Touch ID or Windows Hello</li>
<li>Multiple CAPTCHA Providers – Support for Google reCAPTCHA v2/v3, hCaptcha, and Cloudflare Turnstile</li>
<li>Login Attempt Limiting – Prevent brute-force attacks with intelligent lockout</li>
<li>Access Control – IP-based whitelist/blacklist protection</li>
<li>Activity Monitoring – Comprehensive logging of security events</li>
<li>Temporary User Access – Create temporary WordPress users with time-limited, secure access</li>
<li>Frontend Account Security – Shortcodes and blocks for login, passkeys, 2FA, and session controls</li>
</ul>
Why Choose Guard Dog?
<ul>
<li>Privacy-Focused – Multiple CAPTCHA options including privacy-first providers</li>
<li>WordPress.org Compliant – Built following WordPress coding standards</li>
<li>Site-Owned Controls – No central cloud platform required for core protections</li>
<li>User-Friendly – Intuitive interface with helpful documentation</li>
<li>Regular Updates – Actively maintained and updated</li>
</ul>
Perfect For:
<ul>
<li>Business websites requiring enhanced security</li>
<li>WordPress sites handling sensitive data</li>
<li>Multi-user sites with complex access requirements</li>
<li>Anyone wanting practical login and account protection without a central SaaS dependency</li>
</ul>
Frontend Shortcodes:
<ul>
<li><code>[guard_dog_login_form]</code> renders a public Guard Dog-managed login form</li>
<li><code>[guard_dog_passkey_login]</code> renders a standalone passkey sign-in button for custom login pages</li>
<li><code>[guard_dog_two_factor]</code> renders logged-in 2FA management</li>
<li><code>[guard_dog_passkeys]</code> renders logged-in passkey management</li>
<li><code>[guard_dog_sessions]</code> renders logged-in active-session management</li>
<li><code>[guard_dog_account_security]</code> renders the composite logged-in account security widget for 2FA, passkeys, and sessions</li>
<li><code>[guard_dog_2fa]</code> remains supported as the legacy alias for the account security widget</li>
</ul>
Block-based themes can use the matching Guard Dog Login Form, Passkey Login, Two-Factor Auth, Passkeys, Sessions, and Account Security blocks.
<h3>Additional Information</h3>
Support: 
For support questions, please use the WordPress.org support forums.
Privacy: 
Guard Dog respects user privacy and offers multiple privacy-focused options. Third-party services are only contacted when you enable features that need them, such as CAPTCHA, email delivery, social login, IP reputation, or geolocation.
Security: 
Guard Dog follows WordPress security best practices. User input is sanitized and output is escaped throughout the plugin.
<h3>Third-Party Services</h3>
Guard Dog integrates with the following third-party services to provide CAPTCHA protection. These services are optional and only used when CAPTCHA features are enabled.
<h3>Google reCAPTCHA (v2 and v3)</h3>
What it is: Google’s CAPTCHA service that helps protect websites from spam and abuse.
What it’s used for: 
– Verifying that login, registration, and password reset attempts are made by humans 
– Preventing automated bot attacks on your WordPress forms
What data is sent and when: 
– User interaction data (mouse movements, time spent on page) when CAPTCHA is solved 
– IP address of the user 
– Site domain for verification 
– CAPTCHA response token
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy</a> 
– <a href="https://policies.google.com/terms" rel="nofollow ugc">Google reCAPTCHA Terms of Service</a> 
– <a href="https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/docs/v3#data_usage" rel="nofollow ugc">Google reCAPTCHA Data Usage</a>
<h3>Cloudflare Turnstile</h3>
What it is: Cloudflare’s privacy-first CAPTCHA alternative that doesn’t require user interaction.
What it’s used for: 
– Invisible verification of human users during login, registration, and password reset 
– Privacy-focused protection without tracking or cookies
What data is sent and when: 
– Non-interactive browser signals when forms are submitted 
– IP address for verification 
– Site domain for validation
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cloudflare Privacy Policy</a> 
– <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/terms/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cloudflare Terms of Service</a> 
– <a href="https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/" rel="nofollow ugc">Turnstile Documentation</a>
<h3>hCaptcha</h3>
What it is: A privacy-focused CAPTCHA service that doesn’t track users across websites.
What it’s used for: 
– Human verification during login, registration, and password reset forms 
– Privacy-conscious alternative to Google reCAPTCHA
What data is sent and when: 
– User interaction with CAPTCHA challenge 
– IP address for verification 
– Site domain for validation
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://www.hcaptcha.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">hCaptcha Privacy Policy</a> 
– <a href="https://www.hcaptcha.com/terms" rel="nofollow ugc">hCaptcha Terms of Service</a> 
– <a href="https://www.hcaptcha.com/data-processing" rel="nofollow ugc">hCaptcha Data Processing</a>
<h3>Google OAuth (Social Login)</h3>
What it is: Google’s OAuth 2.0 service that allows users to sign in using their Google account.
What it’s used for: 
– Authenticating WordPress users via their Google account 
– Retrieving basic profile information (name, email) to link or create accounts
What data is sent and when: 
– User is redirected to Google’s authorization server when clicking “Sign in with Google” 
– An authorization code is exchanged for an access token on your server 
– Basic profile information (name, email, Google user ID) is retrieved from Google’s API 
– No ongoing data sharing – data is only retrieved during the login process
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">Google OAuth Privacy Policy</a> 
– <a href="https://policies.google.com/terms" rel="nofollow ugc">Google OAuth Terms of Service</a> 
– <a href="https://developers.google.com/terms/api-services-user-data-policy" rel="nofollow ugc">Google API Services User Data Policy</a>
<h3>Microsoft Azure AD (Social Login)</h3>
What it is: Microsoft’s OAuth 2.0 service via Azure Active Directory that allows users to sign in using their Microsoft account.
What it’s used for: 
– Authenticating WordPress users via their personal Microsoft account or organizational (work/school) account 
– Retrieving basic profile information (name, email) to link or create accounts
What data is sent and when: 
– User is redirected to Microsoft’s authorization server when clicking “Sign in with Microsoft” 
– An authorization code is exchanged for an access token and ID token (JWT) on your server 
– Basic profile information (name, email, Azure object ID) is extracted from the ID token 
– No ongoing data sharing – data is only retrieved during the login process
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement" rel="nofollow ugc">Microsoft Privacy Statement</a> 
– <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement" rel="nofollow ugc">Microsoft Services Agreement</a> 
– <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/" rel="nofollow ugc">Microsoft Identity Platform Documentation</a>
<h3>Apple Sign In (Social Login)</h3>
What it is: Apple’s OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect service that allows users to sign in using their Apple ID.
What it’s used for: 
– Authenticating WordPress users via their Apple ID 
– Retrieving basic profile information (name, email) to link or create accounts
What data is sent and when: 
– User is redirected to Apple’s authorization server when clicking “Sign in with Apple” 
– An authorization code is exchanged for an access token and ID token (JWT) on your server 
– Basic profile information (email, user ID) is extracted from the ID token 
– User’s name is only provided on first authorization; subsequent logins return only the user ID 
– Apple may provide a private relay email address instead of the user’s real email 
– No ongoing data sharing – data is only retrieved during the login process
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/" rel="nofollow ugc">Apple Privacy Policy</a> 
– <a href="https://developer.apple.com/sign-in-with-apple/get-started/" rel="nofollow ugc">Sign in with Apple Guidelines</a> 
– <a href="https://developer.apple.com/terms/" rel="nofollow ugc">Apple Developer Program License Agreement</a>
<h3>TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) Standard</h3>
What it is: An open standard (RFC 6238) for generating time-based one-time passwords used in two-factor authentication.
What it’s used for: 
– Generating secure, time-limited authentication codes for 2FA 
– Providing backup authentication when primary 2FA methods are unavailable 
– Enabling compatibility with popular authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, Microsoft Authenticator, etc.)
What data is sent and when: 
– No external data transmission – TOTP codes are generated locally using the TOTP algorithm 
– Secret key generation – A unique secret key is generated locally when 2FA is enabled for a user 
– QR code generation – QR codes are generated locally for easy setup with authenticator apps 
– Code verification – Generated codes are verified locally against the stored secret key
Privacy and Terms: 
– <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6238" rel="nofollow ugc">RFC 6238 – TOTP Standard</a> 
– <a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">Google Authenticator Privacy Policy</a> (if using Google Authenticator app) 
– <a href="https://authy.com/privacy/" rel="nofollow ugc">Authy Privacy Policy</a> (if using Authy app) 
– <a href="https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement" rel="nofollow ugc">Microsoft Authenticator Privacy Policy</a> (if using Microsoft Authenticator app)
<h3>Data Handling Summary</h3>
When CAPTCHA is disabled: No data is sent to any third-party services.
When CAPTCHA is enabled: Only the specific provider you choose receives verification data. Data is not shared between providers or stored by Guard Dog beyond the verification process.
When 2FA is disabled: No external data transmission occurs.
When 2FA is enabled: 
– All TOTP operations (code generation, verification) happen locally on your server 
– No data is transmitted to external services for 2FA functionality 
– Authenticator apps only receive the initial setup QR code or secret key 
– Recovery codes are generated locally and stored securely
When Social Login is disabled: No data is sent to any OAuth provider.
When Social Login is enabled: 
– Data is only sent to the configured providers (Google, Microsoft, Apple) during the login process 
– Only basic profile information (name, email, user ID) is retrieved 
– Social account links are stored locally in your WordPress database 
– Users can unlink their social accounts from their profile at any time
User control: Users can choose which CAPTCHA provider to use, or disable CAPTCHA entirely. 2FA can be enabled/disabled per user, and users can choose their preferred authenticator app. Social login can be enabled/disabled by administrators, and users can manage their linked social accounts. All security features are optional and configurable.

Guard Dog

Plugin-first WordPress login and account security with custom login URLs, 2FA, passkeys, CAPTCHA protection, access control, sessions, and activity lo …

Ataur R

XpeedStudio

Emran

Roxnor

WpMet

Md Easin

Md. Atiqur Rahman

<blockquote>
<a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/wp-social/pricing/" rel="nofollow ugc">BUY PRO</a> | <a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/wp-social/" rel="nofollow ugc">All Features</a> | <a href="https://help.wpmet.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Support</a> | <a href="https://help.wpmet.com/docs/" rel="nofollow ugc">Docs</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Wpmet/videos" rel="nofollow ugc">Video Tutorials</a> | <a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/wp-social/roadmaps#ideas" rel="nofollow ugc">Request a Feature</a>
</blockquote>
<a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/wp-social" rel="nofollow ugc">Wp Social</a> lets you add social login, social counter, and social share buttons of different styles to your WordPress website.
A website without traffic is lame, but a website that hates social media is doomed to extinction (Yeah, a viral fever has spread all over, but the world craves for it!)
You might feel decision fatigue to find 3 individual plugins for social login, social counter, and social share to keep your website paced with social media.
Well, why exhaust your website with multiple plugins when only one robust social media plugin can do what you want?
Welcome to WP Social.
Leverage WP Social to make the login process and content sharing of your website easier along with counting the fans and followers of your social media channels.
WP Social is an advanced social media plugin with social login, social counter, and social share features. It brings all your social media channels together without much ado!
This amazing plugin allows your visitors to login to your site using their social accounts and share your content on different social media platforms. You can also display the number of your fans and followers along with linking the icons to your social channels.
Unleash the power of social media integration features that you can configure effortlessly from the WordPress admin panel. You can also enable/disable any features of it to make sure you implement what’s important for you.
<h3>Social Register/Login</h3>
Social register/login buttons will make the login process for your visitors easy and simple. With social login, your website visitors can register and log in to your site through dozens of popular social networks seamlessly.
As a website owner, you can manage custom login redirect URL, show or hide social login buttons for different pages including wp-login, wp register, comment, WooCommerce login, WooCommerce register, and much more.
WP Social integrates 9 social login providers that’ll allow your visitors login to your website within seconds via Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Dribbble, GitHub, WordPress, Vkontakte, and Reddit.
Wp Social Login features WordPress Social login and register, Woocommerce Social login and register, BuddyPress Social login and register, Facebook login, Twitter login, Linkedin login, Dribble login, Pinterest login, WordPress login, and Instagram login from your WordPress site.
The social login offers a bunch of beautifully crafted readymade designs that will give your login button an extra classy look.
Just put the login authorization details in the admin panel and you are ready to use this plugin on your site.
<h3>Social Share</h3>
Do you want your visitors to share your web content to the social media platforms just by a click on the social media icons? Leverage the social share feature from WP Social to get your work done.
With the social share feature, your visitors can easily share the post or content from your website to any of the 15 most popular social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
This set of social share buttons will help your users directly share anything with their friends and followers of respective social media.
When it comes to styling, you can choose from readymade styles for displaying the share buttons on your website. On top of that, you can determine the layout either as horizontal or vertical.
And last but not least, you are at complete liberty to show or hide the share count to your visitors.
<h3>Social Counter</h3>
Well, now is the time to introduce you to the social counter buttons.
Do you prefer to showcase the number of social media fans, subscribers, and followers to the visitors of your website? No worries, we have integrated a social counter feature in WP Social for you.
This feature will give you the means to count your social media fans and display the numbers to the visitors.
With this feature, you can impress your potential followers by showing the number of subscribers, fans, and followers you have earned with 15 providers including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Like others, this feature also offers extensive options to select from 15+ hover effects and icon styles such as flat icons, rounded icons, hover effect, color effect, metro style, etc.
We have extensive options to activate this feature with your social media details and select one of the readymade designs from beautifully designed templates.
You can use either widget or shortcode to display your social media counter and shares right on your website in your desired locations!
You can determine the cache hours to store the counter data for a certain period of time.
In all the features mentioned above, WP Social lets you use simple shortcodes anywhere on your site. You do not need knowledge of technical and complicated lengthy code anymore.
<h3>🔥 Top Features of Wp Social</h3>
👉🏻Add Social Register 
👉🏻Enable Social Count 
👉🏻Integrate Social Share 
👉🏻Add Social Login 
👉🏻Count Posts 
👉🏻Count Comments 
👉🏻Use Shortcodes to Show Buttons on Any Page 
👉🏻Easy to Set-up and Use 
👉🏻Up to date API 
👉🏻GDPR Compliant 
👉🏻Choose your Favorite Font Family 
👉🏻Enable/Disable Features 
👉🏻Customizable Caching Hours 
👉🏻Unlimited Customizations 
👉🏻Optimized for Swift Performance 
👉🏻14+ Social Share Providers 
👉🏻8+ Social Counter Providers 
👉🏻8+ Social Login Providers 
👉🏻Customize Login and Logout Redirect URL. 
👉🏻Customizable Text For Social Login Icons. 
👉🏻One-click registration and Social Login via Woocommerce, Buddypress, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Dribble, Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit, Vkontakte 
👉🏻Set Up Your Own Social Login Application with APP ID and APP Secret for Facebook, Twitter. 
👉🏻Editable And Translatable Texts on the Login Buttons.
If you are a blogger, influencer, webmaster, or social media manager looking for easier social media integration to the website, Wp Social is for you.
<h3>🚀 It’s Time to Get Started with Wp Social</h3>
How to install and use Wp Social (video embed)
<h3>🚀 Backed By a Trusted Team</h3>
Wp Social is brought to you by Wpmet, a name trusted by 3,00,000+ satisfied users worldwide.
<h3>👨‍💻 DOCUMENTATION AND SUPPORT</h3>
<ul>
<li>👨‍💻 <a href="https://wpmet.com/support-ticket-form/" rel="nofollow ugc">Contact Our Support</a></li>
<li>👫 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/wpmet/" rel="nofollow ugc">Join Our Facebook Community</a></li>
<li>📜 <a href="https://help.wpmet.com/docs/" rel="nofollow ugc">Check Documentation</a></li>
<li>📝 <a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/wp-social/roadmaps/#updates" rel="nofollow ugc">Browse Changelogs</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>💙 Loved Wp Social?</h3>
🔸Stay Updated with our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Wpmet/videos" rel="nofollow ugc">Youtube Channel</a>
🔸Rate us on <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/******************" rel="ugc">WordPress</a>
<h3>🔥 What’s Next?</h3>
If you like using Wp Social, then consider checking out our other plugins:
<a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/shopengine/" rel="nofollow ugc">ShopEngine</a> – Leverage ShopEngine WooCommerce Builder for Elementor to build your eCommerce website from scratch.
<a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/elementskit/" rel="nofollow ugc">ElementsKit</a> – All-in-one Addons for Elementor featuring 70+ widgets and modules.
<a href="https://wpmet.com/plugin/metform/" rel="nofollow ugc">MetForm</a> – The most flexible and easy-to-use form builder.
<a href="https://products.wpmet.com/crowdfunding/" rel="nofollow ugc">Wp Fundraising</a> – Employ the power of Wp Fundraising to create a crowdfunding and donation site with WordPress.
<a href="https://products.wpmet.com/review/" rel="nofollow ugc">Wp Ultimate Review</a> – Manage customer reviews with Wp Ultimate Review plugin.
Visit <a href="https://wpmet.com" rel="nofollow ugc">wpmet</a> to learn more about how to get the best of WordPress with <a href="https://wpmet.com/blog" rel="nofollow ugc">Tutorial, Tips & Tricks</a>!

Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter


I have been using it for the past few months for allowing fast login to my site.



That option work great but it seems like there is a really big downside for the plugin and if a user try login and it doesn't exist the plugin create a new account while i don't want it.



It doesn't make sense to that login option for users that don't exist create a new accounts and spam users on the site.



Already bought the pro version but i guess i will have to try other plugin instead.


Good plugin with really big downside


I've been using WP Social Login and Register Social Counter, and it has exceeded my expectations! This plugin makes the login process incredibly smooth by allowing users to sign in with their social media accounts effortlessly.


WP Social Login and Register Social Counter – A Must-Have Plugin!

Wp social lets you add social login, social counter, and social share buttons of different styles to your WordPress website.

Guard Dog vs Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter