wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post notifications”
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 “post notifications”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Web Push Notifications – Webpushr shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 63 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #4 ↑4 1 too low 4 
Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress 50K+ · 4.6★ (1170) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
WP Telegram (Auto Post and Notifications) 30K+ · 5.0★ (426)
wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 
WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ · 4.8★ (56)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Notification for Telegram 4K+ · 4.9★ (71)
wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 9 too high 21 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 
Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Notification Bar, Announcement and Cookie Notice WordPress Plugin – FooBar 3K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Publish Post Email Notification 600+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 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.