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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “unread comments widgets”

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 “unread comments widgets”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Ultimate Push Notifications shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #1 2 wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 SureDash – Community, Courses & Member Dashboard 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #16 ↑1 9 too low 8 LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 9 INDIGITALL – Instant Chat, Web Push Notifications 90+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 YOOAdmin 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 11 TimAddons – Submission Log & Automation for Contact Form 7 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too high 12 SimpleForm – Form Maker to Chat Apps with Quiz, Poll and Multi Lead Notifications 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 Roadmap and Feedback Plugin for WordPress – SimpleBoards 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 too high 14 Polanger Contact Chat – Mobile Call Button 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 Themofy Addons for Elementor 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑7 4 too high 16 Rusenas CRM 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 NoteFlow – Notes, Checklists & Team Collaboration 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 ChatJox – چت آنلاین و پشتیبانی 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Init User Engine – Gamified, Fast, Frontend-First 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 20 Vampire Character Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 AskAny – AI Chatbot with RAG, Live Agent and Order Tracking 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 AI Chatbot, Support Automation, Live Chat, Social Automation, Booking & CRM Solution – Helpmate 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 AllTerrain Forms – Survey Builder, Quiz Builder & Contact Form 10+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Ultimate Push Notifications 50+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #14 10 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.