Inbox – Private Messaging, Guest Messages & Help Desk
by Fahad Mahmood · Forms
Also makes 45 other plugins · 27.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
Private messaging inside WordPress for members, vendors, visitors and support teams, with a real inbox: reply, archive, delete, search and block.
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
B 82/100
Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈17 estimated
Momentum
+50%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “contact” and “messaging” for “private messaging” and “inbox”. “contact” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “private messaging” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “messaging” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “inbox” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
82 health vs 65 average across 2,511 Forms plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.2%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 5.2K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Forms plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,668 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Forms 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 6 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
3.7★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.08★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| private messaging | #7 | #22 | 0 |
| inbox | #14 | #24 | up 1 |
| help desk your tag | #20 | #23 | 0 |
| contact your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| messaging your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| private messages your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| woocommerce your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
4 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 3 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “contact” and “messaging” for “private messaging” and “inbox”. “contact” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “private messaging” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “messaging” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “inbox” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 8 Oct 2022 · 1,485 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 145 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,100 to #45,000, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
6d ago
latest release · v2.0.0 · 26 Oct 2026
24
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Modeled within the band wp.org reports; tightens as we track daily.
Install history since 7 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Terry Arthur4.8y ago
I was excited when I found this plugin. I hate leaving WordPress to check or send email for the site I am on. This plugin looked like an excellent solution. This is a good start and does function somewhat but it does not work well enough to be sold on Envato or given away on WP.org in my opinion. You can only add 7 total email addresses with the paid version which is not mentioned anywhere in the documentation of which there is effectively none. I was never able to get the cron job working despite a considerable knowledge of working with cron jobs. I’m not sure that feature actually functions. I emailed support and despite paying for support never heard back from them. It has been 5 days since I emailed them so they had plenty of time to reply. Emails are displayed with extraneous code showing and subject lines have the same issue. You cannot delete an email while viewing it. There is no way to archive an email and remove it from the inbox. So inbox zero is not possible and your inbox stays full and confusing. Attachments are also confusing and poorly designed much like the rest of the plugin. I wouldn’t buy this plugin, the free version does everything the paid version does. All you get for the $20 is 6 extra email accounts and no support. Finally, to the WordPress Plugin Repository folks. Why are you letting plugin authors make reviews of their own plugins? This is misleading and wrong. Stop it. This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Terry Arthur.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ roghithsam6.2y ago
I find a plugin like this in a long time. Thanks for the very nice plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Fahad Mahmood7.8y ago
I am happy to release this masterpiece for you all. It took months to complete but finally it’s here to fill the gap. We were missing such plugin from years. Other plugins are there but there was nothing for internal communication and to handle support/help desk at the same time. I hope, it will get a really nice shape with suggestions of you all. Happy Winters / 2019 Fahad Mahmood
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.6.2
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
7 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Private messaging inside WordPress for members, vendors, visitors and support teams, with a real inbox: rep..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 9 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 9 of 9 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Cloudflare.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,957 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "help desk" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
No tier crossings observed yet.
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).
-
Google for WooCommerce 800K+ installs · 2.8★ · 1 shared tag C -
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ installs · 2.9★ · 1 shared tag B -
Flamingo 800K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A -
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ installs · 3.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
WooCommerce Tax (formerly WooCommerce Shipping & Tax) 500K+ installs · 2.3★ · 1 shared tag B -
WooCommerce Legacy REST API 400K+ installs · 2.2★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Inbox – Private Messaging, Guest Messages & Help Desk into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/inbox" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Inbox – Private Messaging, Guest Messages & Help Desk — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Inbox – Private Messaging, Guest Messages & Help Desk: 10+ active installs, 3.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/inbox
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