wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “live admin”
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 “live admin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus shows at wp.org #8 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 5040 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820)
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Tawk.To Live Chat 100K+ · 4.6★ (142)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 
Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #12 ↑3 13 
Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
PiWeb Live sales notification for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.1★ (29)
wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑3 7 too high 16 
LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98)
wp.org #16 ↑2 17 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Admin Menu Search 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #19 ↑5 20 
ProScores – Live Scores 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 21 
Admin login URL Change 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
FrontEdit – Live Frontend Block Editor 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
Live Copy Paste for Elementor – Cross Domain Copy Paste & Page Duplicator 6K+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Charla Live Chat 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.