wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “first party analytics”

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 “first party analytics”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

FPAI – First-Party AI Analytics shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 10+ 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

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 488 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #1 2

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3156) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #3 4

GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #4 5

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too low 7

Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too high 8

MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9

SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10

Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too high 11

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #16 5 too low 12

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↑1 5 too high 13

CAOS | Host Google Analytics Locally 10K+ · 4.9★ (128) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 4 too low 14

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #20 6 too low 15

ShareThis Dashboard for Google Analytics 80K+ · 3.6★ (138) not PHP-current wp.org #14 1 too high 16

Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17

GAinWP Google Analytics Integration for WP 7K+ · 4.8★ (126) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #21 3 too low 19

TWIPLA – Website Intelligence 800+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too high 20

Tracking and Consent Manager – WP Full Picture 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21

UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 6 too high 22

Fathom Analytics Conversions 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #13 9 too high 23

DevDome Analytics: Bot Traffic vs Human Traffic Website Statistics 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

FPAI – First-Party AI Analytics 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #12 12 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.