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

Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites shows at wp.org #2 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 13 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

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 167 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236) wp.org #1 2 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #13 ↑6 6 too low 8 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156) wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 Post Pay Counter 1K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #23 ↑1 12 too low 12 SRS Simple Hits Counter 8K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 StatCounter – Real Time Visitor Stats, Session Replay & Heatmaps 70K+ · 4.2★ (56) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 Counter Box – Add Countdowns, Timers & Dynamic Counters to WordPress 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #7 ↑1 7 too high 15 Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 Real-Time Post Statistics for WordPress 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 WP Counter Up – Animated Number Counter & Milestone Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 WPS Visitor Counter 10K+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Product Time Countdown for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Click Counter and Heat Maps (Free) 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 Animated Number Counters 2K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Sales Counter For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Word Counter Plus 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 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.