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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “greetings”

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 “greetings”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

Lead Generation Contact Widget & AI Chatbot: Chat Button, Phone Call, Telegram, Email – SiteLeads shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly places #9 on merit, 4.4★ from 586 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #1 2 WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 WP eCards – Branded Digital Greeting Cards 300+ · 4.4★ (26) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #13 ↑1 8 too low 6 Tawk.To Live Chat 100K+ · 4.6★ (142) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 BP Birthday Greetings 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 AcyMailing – An Ultimate Newsletter Plugin and Marketing Automation Solution for WordPress 5K+ · 4.8★ (157) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #20 ↓1 11 too low 10 LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395) wp.org #18 ↓1 7 too low 12 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 Contact Form to Chat Apps | Click to Chat to Order – FormyChat 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 Welcome Greetings based on Time 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 9 too high 16 Ultimate Client Dash 2K+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 Better Chat Support for Messenger 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Lead Generation Contact Widget & AI Chatbot: Chat Button, Phone Call, Telegram, Email – SiteLeads 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19 LeadBooster Chatbot by Pipedrive 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #10 ↓1 9 too high 20 Gift Pack for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 AI for Home Services 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Custom Tabs, Login, Registration, 2FA & Design 900+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 MC Good-bye Howdy 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Wbcom Designs – Birthday Widget for BuddyPress 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.