Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “anonymize”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 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

Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Media File Renamer: Rename Images & Files for SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447) wp.org #2 ↑3 3 WEBKINDER Integration for Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 CAOS | Host Google Analytics Locally 10K+ · 4.9★ (128) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 Goolytics – Simple Google Analytics 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178) wp.org #6 7 The GDPR Framework By Data443 10K+ · 4.8★ (65) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Gwolle Guestbook 20K+ · 4.8★ (113) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & Cookie Notice) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60) wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too low 12 Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #7 ↑3 7 too high 15 Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Analytics Germanized for Google Analytics (GDPR / DSGVO) 7K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 Apocalypse Meow 300+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 AWCA – The Great Analytics Insights for Your eStore 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Double Opt-In for Contact Form 7 – Secure, GDPR-Compliant Email Verification 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Widgets for Yelp Reviews 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #23 24 Widgets for Thumbtack Reviews 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 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.