wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “track 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 “track stats”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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 #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 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
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #1 2 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
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 1 too low 8 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #10 11 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #11 12 
WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156)
wp.org #12 13 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
Simple Statistics for Feeds 800+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #15 16 
ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546)
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77)
wp.org #22 5 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 #17 1 too high 19 
Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 
Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Seriously Simple Stats 5K+ · 3.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
Post views Stats 900+ · 3.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Jetpack Stats 900+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
User Registration Stats 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.