Simple Chat
by Arthur Ronconi · Chat & Support
Also makes 4 other plugins · 110+ installs across the portfolio →
Just a simple chat based on google chat for logged users.
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 41/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
0%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “ajax”, “chat” and “facebook” 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.
41 health vs 64 average across 1,175 Chat & Support plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 14.5K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Chat & Support plugin keeps 0.8%, across 629 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.
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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.5.33, well behind 6.8.
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 3761 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.5.33; the current branch is 6.8
3.1★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 3.93★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3761 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ajax your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| chat your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| facebook your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| google plus your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| talk 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
- “ajax”, “chat” and “facebook” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 59 · 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.
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
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
10.3y ago
latest release · v1.0.6 · 15 Jul 2016
7
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.6 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Aug 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ manm0untain9.5y ago
Installed this plugin to test. Test between 2 browsers did not work, just said both parties were offline. Within 3 minutes the entire site was unresponsive. Contacted my host, apparently massive server load from the 2 instances I had open in the 2 browsers. Took the whole site down for several hours. Spent the last 30 minutes now dealing with my hosting company, still have not gotten the site back online. Very badly written and dangerous piece of code, use very much at your own risk. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by manm0untain.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 149789479.7y ago
Very inefficient implementation of a chat. Made my server go down every time a user logged in and navigated to a frontend page.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hjvanessen11.7y ago
I have this plugin running, and it’s almost 5 star worthy. 😉 The plugin shows all the registered users, and I would love to see only logged in members. Can’t find where to change that. If it had that functionallity, it’s 5 star for shure.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ daniel.c9412.3y ago
I needet to delete the Plugin via Ftp because nothing worked anymore
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ them8z13.2y ago
Private messages appear twice in my bp installation! deactivated it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Neo13.2y ago
I try this plugin,but the comments deley 1-2minutes… please fix it
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ samsamim13.3y ago
real nice plugin, 5 star
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ coco13.3y ago
very sophisticated plugin,keep it up DEVS!!!!!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3.2
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
0 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 155 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("ajax", "facebook", "google plus", "talk" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-04-04 20+ → 10+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2023-04-01 30+ → 20+ down after 179 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 50+ → 30+ down
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).
-
Facebook Chat Plugin – Live Chat Plugin for WordPress 70K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags D -
Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - J Jamie Social Icons 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Social Media Social Share Icon 100+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D -
Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ installs · 2.2★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Chat into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-chat" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Chat — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Chat: 10+ active installs, 3.1★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-chat
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