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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “visitor 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 “visitor analytics”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 7 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

Google Analytics for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #16 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.8★ average from 119 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1668 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #4 ↑18 5 Koko Analytics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics 70K+ · 5.0★ (245) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #5 ↓4 1 too high 7 GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #9 ↑5 1 too low 9 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) wp.org #8 ↓3 3 too high 12 Lara's Google Analytics (GA4) 8K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #14 15 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too high 17 TWIPLA – Website Intelligence 800+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 StatCounter – Real Time Visitor Stats, Session Replay & Heatmaps 70K+ · 4.2★ (56) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 Clicky Analytics 10K+ · 4.5★ (25) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 Search Analytics for WP – Site Search Tracking 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too high 22 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #20 ↓4 2 too high 23 Google Analytics for WooCommerce 100K+ · 2.8★ (119) wp.org #16 ↓5 7 too high 24 ShinyStat Analytics 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.