Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “update 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 “update notifications”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Hide WP Admin Notifications shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 184 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Disable WordPress Update Notifications and auto-update Email Notifications 10K+ · 4.2★ (19) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Companion Auto Update 40K+ · 4.8★ (105) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 U Update Control 4K+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too high 11 Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ · 4.8★ (56) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #21 ↓5 9 too low 13 Notification for Telegram 4K+ · 4.9★ (71) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 Disable Updates – Updates Manager, Disable Automatic Updates, Disable All Updates 9K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #8 ↑5 8 too high 17 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Disable WP Notification 10K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 Notification Bar, Announcement and Cookie Notice WordPress Plugin – FooBar 3K+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Disable Updates for WordPress Core, Plugins and Themes 9K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #18 ↑3 3 too high 22 Disable Auto Update Emails and Block Updates for Plugins, WP Core, and Themes 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Hide WP Admin Notifications 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 Disable Updates – Selective Update Control 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.