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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “campaign 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 “campaign tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Tracking Script Manager shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 708 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 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #1 2 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too high 6 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 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 #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #10 ↑3 11 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #19 ↓2 7 too low 13 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #22 ↑2 8 too low 15 Conversion Tracking for WooCommerce 20K+ · 3.0★ (24) wp.org #6 ↓1 9 too high 16 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Tracking Script Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (7) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 E Easy UTM tracking with contact form 7 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 CP Referrer and Conversion Tracking 300+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 Campaign Monitor Forms by Optin Cat 200+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 LeadSource – UTM Tracking & Lead Source Attribution for Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 SureDonation – Donation Forms, Fundraising Campaigns & Donor Management 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑6 8 too high 24 Global Site Tag Tracking 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓2 8 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.