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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “comment notes”

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 “comment notes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

WP Comment Notification shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 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 #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (140) wp.org #1 2 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #2 3 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #6 7 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 User Notes 800+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Ajaxify Comments – Ajax and Lazy Loading Comments 3K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #21 ↑2 7 too low 15 No Page Comment 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 Admin Page Notes 700+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Comment Mention 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Comment Blacklist Updater 800+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 Turn Comments Off 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 WP Comment Notification 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 13 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.