wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “error notification”
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 “error notification”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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
Push Notifications for WP – Self Hosted Web Push Notifications shows at wp.org #4 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 184 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.
Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (124)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Notification for Telegram 4K+ · 4.9★ (71)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #6 ↑18 2 too low 5 
Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197)
wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too low 6 
404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321)
wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too low 7 
Fatal Error Notify 6K+ · 4.8★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #14 6 too low 9 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #15 ↑3 6 too low 10 
Notivo Notification for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.3★ (80) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #19 ↓7 8 too low 12 Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #23 ↓7 11 too low 13 
HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Push Notifications for WP – Self Hosted Web Push Notifications 6K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 10 too high 15 
Debug Log Manager – Conveniently Monitor and Inspect Errors 10K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↓8 5 too low 17 
Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
Error Log Viewer by BestWebSoft 5K+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓3 10 too high 19 
Hide admin notices – Admin Notification Center 7K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too high 20 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 
WPC Added To Cart Notification for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 
Notification Attachments for Gravity Forms 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
New Order Notification for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too high 24 
Publish Post Email Notification 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.