wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user behavior analytics”

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 “user behavior analytics”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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

WooCommerce Analytics shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 488 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #1 2

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #2 3

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint wp.org #7 4 too low 4

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #11 7 too low 5

Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #3 2 too high 6

Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) not PHP-current wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Matomo Analytics – Powerful, Privacy-First Insights for WordPress 100K+ · 4.6★ (178) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 1 too low 9

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #20 11 too low 10

Opti-Behavior – Self-Hosted Heatmaps, Funnels, A/B Testing & Smart Insights 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #4 6 too high 11

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #13 2 too low 12

WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #21 9 too low 13

Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #23 10 too low 14

ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 4 too high 15

Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 1 too low 16

TWIPLA – Website Intelligence 800+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #17 1 too low 17

AWCA – The Great Analytics Insights for Your eStore 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 3 too high 18

Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #24 6 too low 19

WooCommerce Analytics 20K+ · 4.5★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #5 14 too high 20

HT Easy GA4 – Google Analytics WordPress Plugin 6K+ · 4.5★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 8 too high 21

UTM Event Tracker and Analytics, UTM Grabber 800+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 6 too high 22

Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Simple Analytics 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

Integrate PostHog Web Analytics 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #19 5 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.