bbPress Messages
by DevriX · Uncategorized
Also makes 10 other plugins · 4.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
bbPress Messages - Simple yet powerful private messaging system tailored for bbPress.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+70%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “forums”, “messages” and “private messages” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 24.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,778 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, well behind 7.1.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3275 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 7.1
4.5★ over 11 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3275 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| bbpress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| buddypress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| forums your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| messages your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| private messages your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “forums”, “messages” and “private messages” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 117 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
9.0y ago
latest release · v2.0.9.1 · 15 Nov 2017
20
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 26 Dec 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ vanish8884.1y ago
my environment WordPress 6.0.2 MySQL 5.7.39 PHP version: 7.4.30
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pyoil8.1y ago
Simple but powerful plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jmslbam9.2y ago
I could customize the plugin via filters etc. Works good, so go ahead and install it. We translated the plugin ourself via PoEdit and we want to give that back.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Paul Ginsberg9.7y ago
Couldn’t find anything else doing allowing users to message each other and get notifications within BBpress so this is great. There are regular updates too and the author is supportive. Very handy! Thanks Samuel – very much appreciated!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ russ85239.7y ago
love this updated plugin now. it works well and the support is very prompt and helpful. Wish all suuport was like this
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jacques Malgrange9.9y ago
Works Fine but the text is written in hard. No translation possible. Not usable in my lang ! Too bad. Front-end-pm is a very good alternative.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ u_Oi10.0y ago
It is an awesome plugin! Thanks, and good luck…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tonyhenrie10.0y ago
After trying a couple other plugins that didn’t work, bbpress messages lite is great! Simple, easy, clean. I like it.
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 9 languages, 0 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions bbPress, BuddyPress, Multisite.
- ! Headings and lists 6 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,664 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "forums", "private messages" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-26 200+ → 100+ down after 453 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 300+ → 200+ down after 435 days in tier
- 2023-09-22 400+ → 300+ down after 245 days in tier
- 2023-01-20 500+ → 400+ down after 108 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 600+ → 500+ down after 416 days in tier
- 2021-08-14 800+ → 600+ down after 361 days in tier
- 2020-08-18 900+ → 800+ down after 278 days in tier
- 2019-11-14 1K+ → 900+ down after 771 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
HivePress Messages 7K+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag B -
Contact Form 7 Translate Messages Extension 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag D -
WPC Smart Messages for WooCommerce 1K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag A -
BuddyPress Default Data 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag D -
Site Announcements 300+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D -
BuddyPress Message Attachment 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for bbPress Messages into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bbp-messages" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="bbPress Messages — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> bbPress Messages: 100+ active installs, 4.5★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bbp-messages
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