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

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 “fathom”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Page Visit Counter Analytics – Website Statistics & Google Analytics Alternative for WordPress shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Fathom Analytics for WP 10K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #2 3 Fathom Analytics Conversions 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #4 5 Toolbelt 300+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #12 7 too low 6 SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking 70K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #17 11 too low 7 GT Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Kansleri Cookie Consent 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons 3K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Content Randomizer – Rotate Any Block 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 VisitStats 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 I Indie Analytics — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Spårlös Analytics: Privacy-Friendly Google Analytics Alternative — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Conversion Relay — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 ABCode Cache Warmer 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 Page Visit Counter Analytics – Website Statistics & Google Analytics Alternative for WordPress 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 ZenMarkup Privacy Analytics 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 KaaTai Consent Manager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 SanityAI Visibility Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Converly: Conversion Tracking for Gravity Forms, WPForms, Contact Form 7 & More — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 5 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.