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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “authentication logger”

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 “authentication logger”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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

Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 832 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 SMTP Mailer 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #3 ↓2 1 too high 5 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Titan Anti-spam & Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA & Spam Filter 50K+ · 4.5★ (370) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Gmail SMTP 10K+ · 4.1★ (103) wp.org #7 8 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 Solid Mail – SMTP email and logging made by SolidWP 60K+ · 4.2★ (52) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Next Active Directory Integration 2K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Razorpay Payment Links for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 Activity Log Pro – User Activity Log, Audit Log & Security Monitor 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 CoCart – Headless REST API for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Payment Gateway with MPGS for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 Ecommerce Fabrick 1K+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 Polanger Admin Suite – Secure, Control & Customize WordPress Admin 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Advanced REST API DevTools 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓3 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.