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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “livechat widget”

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 “livechat widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Live Chat Plugin for Elementor – LiveChat shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 40+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 116 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #1 2 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Live Chat Plugin for WooCommerce – LiveChat 900+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Chat Widget: Floating Customer Support Button for 30+ Channels, Supporting SMS, Calls, and Chat – Bit Assist 9K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Crisp – Live Chat and AI Chatbot 20K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #18 ↓1 9 too low 10 Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too high 11 Text: AI chatbot, live chat & ticketing for customer service 100+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Chatra Live Chat + ChatBot + Cart Saver 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 ChatBot.com Conversational AI Support 1K+ · 3.7★ (10) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 Chatbot for WordPress by Collect.chat ⚡️ 6K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 WPChat – Live Chat & Messaging Widget for Customer Support 6K+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #4 13 too high 18 All-in-one Chat Button by anychat.one 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19 EngageBay Live Chat Support 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 20 Firmao LiveChat 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 CookieBoxs – GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent & Google Consent Mode v2 200+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Live Chat Plugin for Elementor – LiveChat 40+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #5 17 too high 23 Desku.io – Live Chat, Help Desk & Knowledge Base 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 24 Charla Live Chat 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.