wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “notification widget”
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 “notification widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
WP Notification Bell shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 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.
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #2 3 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Notivo Notification for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.3★ (80) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199)
wp.org #12 6 too low 7 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #19 10 too low 10 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38)
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Void Contact Form 7 Widget For Elementor Page Builder 10K+ · 4.9★ (103)
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
NotificationX – FOMO, Live Sales Notification, WooCommerce Sales Popup, GDPR, Social Proof, Announcement Banner & Floating Notification Bar 30K+ · 4.8★ (228)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 WP Notification Bell 700+ · 4.9★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 too high 18 
ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
PushEngage – Web Push Notifications, WooCommerce Automation & Chat Widget 8K+ · 4.3★ (37)
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Social Slider Feed – Social Media Feed & Gallery Widgets 10K+ · 3.9★ (127)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Bazz CallBack widget 3K+ · 4.3★ (33)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Another Mailchimp Widget 4K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Analytify – Dashboard Widget for Google Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current 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.