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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “alert”

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 “alert”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 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

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1717 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5008) wp.org #1 2 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (525) wp.org #2 3 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – The Most Popular SMTP and Email Log Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (5200) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #4 5 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4823) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1640) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 SMS Alert – SMS & OTP for WooCommerce, Order Notifications & Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (124) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1717) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7303) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 600K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #18 ↑2 7 too low 12 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (149) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 2K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Notifima – WooCommerce Stock Manager, Inventory Management, Waitlist 2K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #20 ↓4 4 too low 17 Simple Alert Blocks 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 StackWC Order Notification for WooCommerce – Get Instant Audio Alert on new Orders 800+ · 3.6★ (12) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Alerts for Beaver Builder 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Alerts DLX – Alert Block, Alert Box, Callout Box, and Notifications 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 WP Down Slack Alert 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.