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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “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 “log”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Debug Log Manager Tool shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 709 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #3 ↓2 1 too low 3 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too high 4 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too low 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 Email Log 80K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 WP Mail Log 10K+ · 4.9★ (66) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #16 ↓13 8 too low 9 Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709) wp.org #21 ↑2 9 too low 13 E Error Log Monitor 20K+ · 4.3★ (48) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 too high 18 Log cleaner for Kadence Security 7K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Stream – Activity Log & Audit Trail 70K+ · 4.3★ (76) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 Activity Log Pro – User Activity Log, Audit Log & Security Monitor 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 R REST API Log 5K+ · 3.6★ (24) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Error Log Viewer by BestWebSoft 5K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.