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

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 “wordpress unread comments”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 2 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

TodoX — Project & Task Management for WordPress shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 10+ 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

wpForo Forum places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 390 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #1 2 ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #5 ↑2 3 too low 3 wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too low 4 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Block, Suspend, Report for BuddyPress 500+ · 4.6★ (18) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Blockons – Gutenberg blocks for WordPress and WooCommerce websites 600+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too low 9 SureDash – Community, Courses & Member Dashboard 1K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #9 10 Roadmap and Feedback Plugin for WordPress – SimpleBoards 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 8 too high 11 LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↑2 1 too low 12 INDIGITALL – Instant Chat, Web Push Notifications 90+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #19 ↑2 7 too low 13 EntryDashboard – Database Addon & Sync for WPForms, CF7, Elementor & More 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑2 3 too low 14 TimAddons – Submission Log & Automation for Contact Form 7 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑1 15 Alpaca Issue Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 YOOAdmin 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓4 8 too low 17 Polanger Contact Chat – Mobile Call Button 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 TodoX — Project & Task Management for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Quarivo Comment Shield 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑2 8 too high 20 AFB – Auto Form Builder: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Multi-Step Forms, Conditional Logic & AI 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 Polanger VideoHub – Build Your Own Video Platform 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 KD Submissions 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 Vampire Character Manager 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Ultimate Push Notifications 50+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #20 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.