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

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 “inquiry”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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

WHM Inquiry Button for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Booking Calendar places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 657 reviews, but shows at wp.org #6. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too low 2

Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.8★ (657) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too low 3

Email Inquiry & Cart Options for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.2★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #1 2 too high 4

CatalogX Product Catalog, Product Enquiry & Quotes for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5

Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6

The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current wp.org #10 4 too low 7

WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8

Product Enquiry for WooCommerce (Now with AI Assistant) 10K+ · 4.1★ (68) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9

MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑7 10

RTMForm – Contact Form, Multi-Step Forms & Form Templates for Elementor 30K+ · 4.3★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #4 6 too high 11

Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12

Smartsupp – live chat, AI shopping assistant and chatbots 20K+ · 4.7★ (131) wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too low 13

Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #21 8 too low 14

Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395) not PHP-current wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16

Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) heavy footprint wp.org #23 7 too low 17

WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 1 too low 18

Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 ↓11 20

Call for Price for WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.9★ (27) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too high 21

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode 60K+ · 3.7★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too high 22

WHM Inquiry Button for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↓2 17 too high 23

Inquiry Button for WooCommerce 60+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too high 24

Xpertdezine Product Inquiry Manager 90+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑2 8 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.