wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user tracking”
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 tracking”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
User Activity Tracking and Log shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 34 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 633 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399)
wp.org #4 ↑3 5 
CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too low 7 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #9 ↓6 2 too low 8 
Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58)
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too low 10 AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) 7K+ · 4.8★ (633)
wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #10 ↑6 1 too high 12 
Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73)
wp.org #12 ↓2 13 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too low 14 
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 #20 ↓7 6 too low 15 
Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #15 16 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34)
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19 
User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 
Conversion Tracking for WooCommerce 20K+ · 3.0★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑11 7 too high 21 
YITH WooCommerce Order & Shipment Tracking 7K+ · 3.7★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 
Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
CallRail Phone Call Tracking 10K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 
Simple Matomo Tracking Code 800+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 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.