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

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 box”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 3 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 #1 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 12 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

WP Activity Log places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 490 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Popup Box – Easily Create WordPress Popups 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (124) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too low 9 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #20 ↑4 11 too low 10 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #23 ↓2 13 too low 11 Notifima – WooCommerce Stock Manager, Inventory Management, Waitlist 2K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 12 too high 14 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Simple Alert Blocks 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20 Singular Alerts – Create Beautiful Alerts and Notifications in Seconds 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Snow Monkey Blocks 30K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 L Login Alert Notification 20+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 HM Multiple Roles 1K+ · 3.6★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 Classic Addons – WPBakery Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.