wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide activity”
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 “hide activity”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 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 #10 but places #21 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
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #1 2 
Booking Activities 3K+ · 5.0★ (121)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #9 ↓3 5 too low 5 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 ↑9 8 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #14 ↓4 4 too low 11 
Activity Logs, User Activity Tracking, Multisite Activity Log from Logtivity 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #2 9 too high 12 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too low 13 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too low 14 
User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34)
wp.org #5 9 too high 15 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #17 ↓3 1 too low 17 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #24 ↓4 7 too low 18 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
BuddyPress Activity Filter 300+ · 3.5★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 Activity Link Preview For BuddyPress 100+ · 4.0★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 11 too high 22 
Activity Log for WordPress 30+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓5 1 too low 23 
Who Changed It? – Activity Log & Audit Trail 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 
Logify WP – Activity Log & User Audit Log 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 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.