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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “call tracking”

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 “call tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 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

Nimbata Call Tracking shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #1 2 Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too low 4 WP Call Button – Easy Click to Call Button for WordPress 40K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #15 ↓2 10 too low 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 #18 12 too low 7 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #17 ↑3 10 too low 8 Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 Call for Price for WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #5 ↑1 4 too high 10 CallRail Phone Call Tracking 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #3 ↓1 7 too high 11 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #22 ↓3 10 too low 13 CallTrackingMetrics 3K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 WhatConverts 7K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Tracking and Consent Manager – WP Full Picture 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 YITH WooCommerce Order & Shipment Tracking 7K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 Portugal CTT Tracking for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑3 2 too high 19 Vanquish Shipping Tracking – Order Tracking & Carrier Links for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓7 5 too low 20 WP CTA – Call Now Button, Sticky Button & Call to Action Builder 2K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #20 ↑2 21 Simple Matomo Tracking Code 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑2 9 too high 22 Nimbata Call Tracking 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 LocaliQ – Tracking Code 2K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑2 9 too high 24 Awin – Advertiser Tracking for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.