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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “time tracker”

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 tracker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 3 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

WhatsLink Click Tracker shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 400+ 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

Simple Download Monitor places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 158 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #1 2 Email Tracker 800+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #2 3 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 ↑1 5 too high 9 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #24 ↓1 15 too low 10 Media Tracker – Track Unused, Duplicate & Used Media 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Analytics Tracker 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↓1 7 too high 12 Order Tracker for WooCommerce – Track Customer Order 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) wp.org #23 ↑1 10 too low 14 Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Alpaca Issue Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 WhatsLink Click Tracker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Source Medium Tracker for Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 atec 404 Tracker 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 20 Post Count Tracker 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 21 Smart Click Tracker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Time Tracker 30+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 UTM Tracker for Gravity Forms 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 ConsentOwl — Cookie Consent & Tracker Blocker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.