wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “time track”
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 track”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Time Clock – A WordPress Employee & Volunteer Time Clock Plugin shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Track The Click 7K+ · 4.7★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233)
wp.org #5 6 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #10 ↑8 3 too low 8 
SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #17 ↑2 8 too low 10 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #11 ↓4 1 too low 11 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #19 ↓4 8 too low 12 
Dynamic Time 200+ · 4.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #6 6 too high 13 
BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332)
wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too high 15 
Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156)
wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #24 ↓3 5 too low 20 Time Clock – A WordPress Employee & Volunteer Time Clock Plugin 500+ · 4.9★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑3 13 too high 21 
Real-Time Post Statistics for WordPress 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 
All in One Time Clock Lite – Tracking Employee Time Has Never Been Easier 500+ · 4.6★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓4 4 too high 23 
Live Carts for WooCommerce: Track Active, Abandoned, and Converted Carts & Wishlists in Real Time! 900+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too high 24 
Track Orders for WooCommerce – Multi Carrier WooCommerce Shipping 200+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.