Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “email tracker”

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 “email tracker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

WhatsLink Click Tracker shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 400+ 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

SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 816 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Email Tracker 800+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #1 2 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 9K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #18 12 too low 7 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #23 15 too low 9 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 ShopMagic – email automation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Media Tracker – Track Unused, Duplicate & Used Media 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #15 16 Analytics Tracker 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 Email Subscription Popup — Newsletter & GDPR Consent 1K+ · 3.8★ (11) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Alpaca Issue Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 UTM Tracker for Contact Form 7 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Benchmark Email Lite 1K+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 WhatsLink Click Tracker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Source Medium Tracker for Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 UTM Tracker for Gravity Forms 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 7 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.