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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “firebase messages”

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 “firebase messages”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Ultimate Push Notifications shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 286 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 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #1 2 OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #2 3 WPMobile.App – Android and iOS App Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (162) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 I Integrate Firebase 500+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 OTP Login & Register Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (44) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Push Notification for Post and BuddyPress 200+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (286) wp.org #23 ↓1 16 too low 8 WappPress – Convert Site to App Fast – WordPress to Mobile App Builder 1K+ · 3.6★ (39) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 The School Management – Education & Learning ERP 700+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 FormGent – Next-Gen AI Form Builder for WordPress with Multi-Step, Quizzes, Payments & More 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 NXT Cloud Chat – CRM, Inbox & OTP Login 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 WhoKnew Signal – Self-Hosted Web Push Notifications & PWA 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Mobile App for WooCommerce: ShopApper Mobile App Builder Service for WooCommerce 30+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 stepFORM: Plugin for Building Contact Forms, Advanced Multi-Step Forms, Payment Integration, and Custom Contact Form Solutions 100+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 Push notification for Mobile and Web app 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too high 17 Progressive Web App – PWA, Web Push Notifications and Offline Mode 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑2 8 too high 18 Free SMS for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 T Topic-Based Push Notifications for Firebase 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 PushAI – Self-Hosted Web Push Notifications 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 R RafaelMarreca Push Dispatch for Firebase Cloud Messaging — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Admin Chat Management — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 Barcode Man for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Ultimate Push Notifications 50+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 11 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.