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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “update notifier”

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 notifier”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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 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

Simple Exit Notifier shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #1 2 Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #2 3 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #12 ↑2 9 too low 4 Broken Link Notifier 1K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 XML Sitemap & Google News 100K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Outdated Plugin Notifier 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 MoreConvert Wishlist for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 Comment Notifier 400+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Waitlist Woocommerce ( Back in stock notifier ) 4K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #19 ↑2 7 too low 13 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 WANotifier for Forms and Actions 900+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 Notifima – WooCommerce Stock Manager, Inventory Management, Waitlist 2K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 360 Javascript Viewer 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 U User Login Notifier for WordPress 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Simple Exit Notifier 100+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 Tab Return Notifier 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Instant Order Notification for WooCommerce – Get Audio Alert on new Orders 50+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Post Publish Email Notifier 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 B Beltoft In-Stock Notifier for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 E Easy Update Notifier 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.