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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “syslog”

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 “syslog”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

PowerSEC – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Login Security & Backup shows at wp.org #9 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10+ 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

Easy Updates Manager places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 725 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 S Stop User Enumeration 50K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #3 4 WP fail2ban – Advanced Security 60K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Jeepers Peepers: WP Syslog 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 WP Fail2Ban Redux 7K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (725) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Activity Log Pro – User Activity Log, Audit Log & Security Monitor 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 MailArchiver 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Trunc Logging – Auditing syslog for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Anti-Hacker – Security Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Fail2WP 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 D Developer Loggers for Simple History 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 PowerSEC – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Login Security & Backup 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑2 6 too high 16 Logify – Activity Log, Audit Log, Event Log & User Activity Tracking 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Dragon Activity Log – Audit Log, User Activity Tracking & Security Audit Trail — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Banana Defender – GDPR-Compliant Firewall, Scanner & Virtual Patching for WordPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 AATI WP Finetuning 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 HandL AI Connector Access Control — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 NextCellent Simple History 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 B Bang System Logging 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Authentication and xmlrpc log writer 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 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.