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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple 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 “simple counter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 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

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 5039 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #1 2 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 SRS Simple Hits Counter 8K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 Simple Revisions Delete 10K+ · 4.9★ (50) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #20 ↑2 9 too low 12 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Counter Box – Add Countdowns, Timers & Dynamic Counters to WordPress 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15 Simple Event Planner 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 Post View Count 4K+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Social Counter & Sharer 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑1 14 too high 19 Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter 4K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 PageViews Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 Counter-Hits 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 Animated Number Counters 2K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 MWR Hit Counter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Link Visit Counter 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.