Help Scout
by BoldGrid · Chat & Support
Also makes 13 other plugins · 1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Release 6.5.7 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Add a contact form to your website, or embed Help Scout Be …
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
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈390 estimated
Momentum
-5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “help” and “wordpress help” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 and #21 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
86 health vs 64 average across 1,174 Chat & Support plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.2%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 25.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Chat & Support plugin keeps 0.8%, across 628 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Chat & Support plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 74 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 26d
15%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 26d
+0.2
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| help scout | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| scout | #1 | #4 | 0 |
| contact form help desk your tag | #2 | #6 | — |
| help | #4 | #16 | 0 |
| scout form | #2 | #8 | — |
| help desk | #4 | #11 | down 1 |
| wordpress help | #21 | #24 | up 1 |
| customer portal | #24 | #20 | down 6 |
| documentation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| helpdesk your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| support your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
15 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 7 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “help” and “wordpress help” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 and #21 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 951 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ 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 21 Oct 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v6.5.7 · 19 May 2026
32
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 97% 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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 55 days ago and the previous band took 16 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 400.
Install history since 15 Mar 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ fidyyuan1.8y ago
Absolutely garbage plugin. Enable it, follow the guide, but there’s no way to activate the app. Then, it throws nonstop errors when you try to change the status of an order and doesn’t let customers check out their order. Beacon doesn’t work either. Took weeks before the critical error was resolved either.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ttherex4.8y ago
Very easy to use!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dear.leader8.7y ago
Amazing plugin. Well supported and always seems to work without issue. I upgraded to Help Scout Desk so I could take advantage of the WooCommerce integration which allows for customer orders to appear right in Help Scout when we’re responding to a customer’s message.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ srumery9.6y ago
Great solution for those looking to integrate Help Scout into your website.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bryan Hoffman9.9y ago
Easy way to add HelpScout to a site
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dan Cameron10.1y ago
It’s pretty great. However, I’m the author of the plugin so I’m a bit biased…even if I use it at sproutapps.co.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (6.5.7). Sites still on an older version should update.
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 1 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.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Release 6.5.7 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Add a contact f..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ! Enough to quote 639 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 4 tags appear in the text ("contact form help desk", "documentation", "helpdesk" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-06 400+ → 300+ down after 485 days in tier
- 2025-05-09 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-08 400+ → 500+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-05-05 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-04 400+ → 500+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-05-01 500+ → 400+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2025-04-25 400+ → 500+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-24 500+ → 400+ down after 146 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).
-
SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Zendesk Support for WordPress 1K+ installs · 3.2★ · 2 shared tags D -
Nirweb support 700+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
ChatLab – AI Chatbot for WordPress and WooCommerce 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
WP Advanced Ticket System, Elite Support Helpdesk 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Help Scout into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/help-scout" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Help Scout — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Help Scout: 300+ active installs, 4.3★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/help-scout
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