wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp 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 “wp log”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 2 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
Email Log shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 43 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #1 2 
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 #2 3 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #7 8 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #8 9 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #9 10 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
WP Mail Log 10K+ · 4.9★ (66)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Email Log 80K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #12 7 too high 20 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #23 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.