wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple stats”
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 stats”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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
Seriously Simple Stats shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Blog Stats 4K+ · 4.9★ (38)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #2 3 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 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 #13 5 too low 9 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Simple Statistics for Feeds 800+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Seriously Simple Stats 5K+ · 3.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #3 8 too high 12 
301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 6 too high 17 
URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (169)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
Simple Client Dashboard 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 21 
Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Simple Matomo Tracking Code 800+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 6 too high 23 S Simple RSVP 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Jetpack Stats 900+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.