wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web notice”

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 “web notice”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20.

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

Catch Web Tools shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder places #8 on merit, 4.5★ from 7322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026) wp.org #1 2

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #2 3

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #3 ↑5 4

Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225) wp.org #4 5

CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #10 ↑3 4 too low 7

OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9

Web Push Notifications – Webpushr 10K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #9 ↓1 10

Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229) wp.org #19 ↑2 7 too low 13

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #16 ↑4 3 too low 14

Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15

Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) wp.org #22 ↓5 6 too low 17

WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18

WPS Notice Center 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↓1 12 too high 19

Web Directory plugin Free – AI powered 300+ · 4.1★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20

Catch Web Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 13 too high 21

GDPR tools: Cookie notice + privacy 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #14 7 too high 22

Core Web Vitals & PageSpeed Booster 1K+ · 3.9★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23

Leaving Notice Popup For External Links – nofollow, noopener & New Tab 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 24

Integrate PostHog Web Analytics 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.