Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “404 log”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “404 log”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Custom 404 Pro shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #1 2 Redirect 404 to Homepage 60K+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #2 3 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 All 404 Redirect to Homepage 200K+ · 4.1★ (96) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 301 Redirects & 404 Error Log 30K+ · 4.6★ (28) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419) wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too low 10 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too low 13 WP 404 Auto Redirect to Similar Post 30K+ · 4.9★ (113) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 Log cleaner for Kadence Security 7K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #10 ↑2 5 too high 16 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Custom 404 Pro 7K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too high 19 Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager 7K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Page as 404 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Agent Abilities for MCP – Connect Claude and ChatGPT with Permission Controls and Audit Log 800+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Redirect 404 to parent 60+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 atec 404 Tracker 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Auto Redirect 404 to Custom URL – 404 Redirect & Error Log 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.