wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “goal 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 “goal tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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

WhatConverts shows at wp.org #4 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Brave – Create Popup, Optins, Lead Generation, Survey, Sticky Elements & Interactive Content places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 209 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 signals wp.org

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #1 2

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

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 #6 ↑3 2 too low 5

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too low 7

Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 ↓3 9

SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑12 3 too low 10

User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34) wp.org #5 ↑2 5 too high 11

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #13 2 too low 12

Brave – Create Popup, Optins, Lead Generation, Survey, Sticky Elements & Interactive Content 20K+ · 4.8★ (209) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13

Conversios – GA4, Google Ads & Meta Conversion Tracking with Product Feed for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (206) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #15 ↓4 2 too low 14

WhatConverts 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #4 10 too high 15

Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16

LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17

Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓4 7 too high 18

Donation Thermometer 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19

Goal Tracker – Custom Event Tracking for GA4 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓3 20

Analytify – Dashboard Widget for Google Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21

Simple Analytics 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓2 22

Sigmize: A/B Testing, Session Recordings, Heatmaps & Revenue Tracking for WooCommerce, SureCart & EDD 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23

Click Counter and Heat Maps (Free) 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24

Pulsating Chat Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.