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

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 “helpscout”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 2 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

Aisentic – AI Copilot for WordPress Dashboard shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) wp.org #1 2 Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ · 4.9★ (724) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too low 4 Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Help Scout integration for Easy Digital Downloads 100+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #5 6 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #16 10 too low 7 BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665) wp.org #17 ↑1 9 too low 9 CRM Perks – WordPress HelpDesk Integration – Zendesk, Freshdesk, HelpScout 40+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #3 ↓1 6 too high 10 PushEngage – Web Push Notifications, WooCommerce Automation & Chat Widget 8K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11 Social Live Chat Helpdesk – MyAlice 80+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 Fluent Support – Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticket System 10K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #13 ↑4 1 too low 13 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14 Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Contact Form & SMTP Plugin for WordPress by PirateForms 30K+ · 4.7★ (223) wp.org #21 ↑1 6 too low 16 WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Support Genix – Helpdesk, AI Chatbot, Knowledge Base & Customer Support Ticketing System 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 too high 18 Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 Help Scout 300+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 too high 20 Datafeedr API 4K+ · 4.0★ (13) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Kustom Checkout for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.5★ (15) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Aisentic – AI Copilot for WordPress Dashboard 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 16 too high 23 Shipping Live rates for Canada Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 AcconsentoBot — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too high

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.