wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “php logs”
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 “php logs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Activity Logs, User Activity Tracking, Multisite Activity Log from Logtivity shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 292 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.
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221)
wp.org #1 2 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 3 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too high 6 
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 #7 1 too low 7 
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #10 ↑3 2 too low 9 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #15 ↑4 6 too low 10 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 
Email Log 80K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292)
wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 
404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321)
wp.org #24 ↓8 10 too low 15 
Native PHP Sessions 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 
Easy PHP Settings 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 10 too high 17 E Error Log Monitor 20K+ · 4.3★ (48)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too high 18 
Stream – Activity Log & Audit Trail 70K+ · 4.3★ (76)
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 
Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin with Amazon SES, Postmark, and Other Providers 200K+ · 4.7★ (25)
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 
Log in with Google 6K+ · 4.6★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 Activity Logs, User Activity Tracking, Multisite Activity Log from Logtivity 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 12 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.