wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “stats 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 “stats tracking”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Seriously Simple Stats shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 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 Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative places #12 on merit, 4.1★ from 758 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #1 2 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #2 3 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #3 4 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
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 #8 2 too low 7 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #7 8 
SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
StatCounter – Real Time Visitor Stats, Session Replay & Heatmaps 70K+ · 4.2★ (58)
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Seriously Simple Stats 5K+ · 3.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #5 11 too high 17 
Simple Statistics for Feeds 800+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34)
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
CP Referrer and Conversion Tracking 300+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Simple Matomo Tracking Code 800+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
atec Stats 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Global Site Tag Tracking 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.