wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “link 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 “link tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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
Conversion Tracking for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 633 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #1 2 
ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58)
wp.org #5 6 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150)
wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) 7K+ · 4.8★ (633)
wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 
Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too high 9 
LinkCentral – URL shortener, Affiliate Links & Custom Link Shortener with Link Tracking 400+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too low 13 
BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85)
wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 6 too high 16 
AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #12 4 too high 17 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓10 1 too low 18 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Lasso Lite – Affiliate Link Manager, URL Shortener & Link Tracking 4K+ · 3.1★ (47) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
Amazon Link Engine 2K+ · 4.4★ (31)
wp.org #23 ↓3 3 too low 21 
User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Conversion Tracking for WooCommerce 20K+ · 3.0★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑10 9 too high 23 
Wp Tracking Codes 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too high 24 
Portugal CTT Tracking for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.