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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “activity stream”

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 “activity stream”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 plugins are 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

Activity Link Preview For BuddyPress shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 572 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Stream – Activity Log & Audit Trail 70K+ · 4.3★ (76) wp.org #1 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Activity Log Pro – User Activity Log, Audit Log & Security Monitor 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #9 ↑2 5 too low 5 Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Flow-Flow Social Streams 7K+ · 3.3★ (100) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #16 ↓2 9 too low 8 Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 BuddyPress Integration for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.3★ (72) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) wp.org #13 ↑3 3 too low 11 Activity Logs, User Activity Tracking, Multisite Activity Log from Logtivity 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #17 ↓4 5 too low 13 BuddyPress Builder for Elementor – BuddyBuilder 1K+ · 4.6★ (57) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Re-post Activity for BuddyPress 80+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Wbcom Designs – Shortcodes & Elementor Widgets For BuddyPress 600+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 All-in-one Like Widget 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress 7K+ · 3.7★ (152) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Activity Plus Reloaded for BuddyPress 900+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #20 ↓3 2 too low 19 Activity Link Preview For BuddyPress 100+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 WP Sessions Time Monitoring Full Automatic 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 BuddyPress Activity Filter 300+ · 3.5★ (14) wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22 Restrictions for BuddyPress 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 ActivityStream extension 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Quantely Activity 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 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.