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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “text chat”

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 “text chat”, 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

ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #1 2 Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189) wp.org #10 ↓4 1 too low 10 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #12 13 WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 Smartsupp – live chat, AI shopping assistant and chatbots 20K+ · 4.7★ (131) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 Simple Chat Button 40K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 Tawk.To Live Chat 100K+ · 4.6★ (142) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Wise Chat 4K+ · 4.4★ (105) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Auto Alt Text 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 ↑3 8 too high 22 Text: AI chatbot, live chat & ticketing for customer service 100+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #22 23 WP Click to Chat – Email, Live Chat, Call & Book Now Buttons 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Pulsating Chat Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 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.