Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “push 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 “push messages”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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 #15 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Sticky Menu & Sticky Header places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 763 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 OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) wp.org #2 3 Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #3 4 Brevo – Email, SMS, Web Push, Chat, and more. 100K+ · 4.1★ (284) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #15 ↑2 10 too low 6 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #19 ↓4 13 too low 7 Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #17 ↓1 10 too low 8 SendPulse Free Web Push 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #23 ↓3 14 too low 10 Perfecty Push Notifications 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Push Notification for Post and BuddyPress 200+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Gravitec.net – Web Push Notifications 1K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 PushEngage – Web Push Notifications, WooCommerce Automation & Chat Widget 8K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Push Notifications for WP – Self Hosted Web Push Notifications 6K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 iZooto – Web Push Notifications 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Push Notifications by LaraPush 4K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 PushAlert – Web Push Notifications for WordPress and WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 INDIGITALL – Instant Chat, Web Push Notifications 90+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Buckaroo Payments for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 WhoKnew Signal – Self-Hosted Web Push Notifications & PWA 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 PushAI – Self-Hosted Web Push Notifications 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 eRecht24 Legal Texts 50K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Ultimate Push Notifications 50+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑3 8 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.