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

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 “wechat”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 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

Lead Generation Contact Widget & AI Chatbot: Chat Button, Phone Call, Telegram, Email – SiteLeads shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 591 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 signals wp.org

Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #1 2

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3

Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too low 4

All-in-one Sticky Floating Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, and 50+ Social Icon Tabs – My Sticky Elements 40K+ · 4.9★ (542) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5

AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 6

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #2 4 too high 7

China Payments Plugin | Accept WeChat Pay, Alipay & UnionPay | Chinese Checkout Optimization 200+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 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

Payment Plugins Braintree For WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.8★ (149) wp.org #12 3 too low 10

Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #18 ↑1 8 too low 11

Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 4 too low 12

Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13

Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14

AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint wp.org #22 8 too low 15

Payment Gateway of Stripe for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.4★ (66) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑5 6 too high 16

Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay – Accept Credit Card Payments + Subscriptions with Stripe 8K+ · 4.4★ (117) not PHP-current wp.org #16 17

WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

简数采集器 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #21 3 too low 19

Wenprise WeChatPay Payment Gateway For WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓2 8 too high 20

Lead Generation Contact Widget & AI Chatbot: Chat Button, Phone Call, Telegram, Email – SiteLeads 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 10 too high 21

Yedpay for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓2 8 too high 22

导入微信文章 (Import Articles from WeChat) 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23

Easy Share Solution For WordPress 900+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 24

Bayarcash WooCommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews 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.