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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “link counter”

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 “link counter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ 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

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 4132 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #12 8 too low 5 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #5 6 Post Pay Counter 1K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 Cresta Social Share Counter 2K+ · 4.8★ (55) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #22 ↑1 12 too low 11 Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #4 ↓1 7 too high 12 Counter Box – Add Countdowns, Timers & Dynamic Counters to WordPress 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Counters Block – Animated Number Counters, Stats & Dynamic KPIs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Easy Affiliate Links 6K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 WPS Visitor Counter 10K+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 GT Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Animated Number Counters 2K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 2K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Click Counter and Heat Maps (Free) 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Link Visit Counter 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 MWR Hit Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Sales Counter For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 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.