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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “support button”

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 “support button”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

Ko-fi Button shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ 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

Chat Widget: Floating Customer Support Button for 30+ Channels, Supporting SMS, Calls, and Chat – Bit Assist places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 111 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #1 2 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Fluent Support – Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticket System 10K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 S SSH SFTP Updater Support 10K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #10 ↑4 4 too low 7 Awesome Support – WordPress HelpDesk & Support Plugin 6K+ · 3.5★ (194) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Chat Widget: Floating Customer Support Button for 30+ Channels, Supporting SMS, Calls, and Chat – Bit Assist 9K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Majestic Support – The Leading-Edge Help Desk & Customer Support Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Simple Chat Button 40K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 Button visually impaired 10K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Support Genix – Helpdesk, AI Chatbot, Knowledge Base & Customer Support Ticketing System 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Quantity Plus Minus Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 Quick Buy Now Button for WooCommerce 50K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Ko-fi Button 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24 Blog Floating Button 8K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.