wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “project 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 “project tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 7 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

Sigmize: A/B Testing, Session Recordings, Heatmaps & Revenue Tracking for WooCommerce, SureCart & EDD shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Download Monitor places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #1 2

Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #2 3

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #6 3 too low 4

ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 2 too high 6

FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #4 2 too high 7

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9

Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #20 ↓5 10 too low 11

Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #17 ↑4 6 too low 12

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #15 3 too low 13

LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #5 8 too high 14

UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 4.2★ (74) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15

MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 3 too high 16

Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17

Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 3 too high 18

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #18 ↓1 19

Cyr to Lat Enhanced 80K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20

Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 7 too high 21

Projectopia – Project Management Tool 200+ · 5.0★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 11 too high 22

Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓4 1 too high 23

Sigmize: A/B Testing, Session Recordings, Heatmaps & Revenue Tracking for WooCommerce, SureCart & EDD 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #11 12 too high 24

Ndizi Project Management 10+ · 3.5★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1

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.