wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “windows live”

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 “windows live”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

HelpCrunch – Live Chat, Chatbot & Knowledge Base for Customer Service shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1244 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

Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #1 2

3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Tawk.To Live Chat 100K+ · 4.6★ (142) wp.org #4 5

Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #11 4 too low 8

LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #9 1 too low 9

Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #18 9 too low 10

Modal Window – create popup modal window 10K+ · 3.8★ (36) wp.org #5 5 too high 11

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

Chatra Live Chat + ChatBot + Cart Saver 2K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #7 5 too high 13

WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #22 9 too low 14

WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 2 too low 15

MyLiveChat – Free Live Chat & AI Chatbot 800+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Animated Live Wall Gallery 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #12 4 too high 17

HelpCrunch – Live Chat, Chatbot & Knowledge Base for Customer Service 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #10 7 too high 18

Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #17 1 too high 19

WPS Bidouille 9K+ · 4.9★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 4 too low 20

Chaport — Live Chat & Chatbots 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #14 6 too high 21 L Live CSS Preview 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #15 6 too high 22

AI Chatbot, Live Chat & Lead Generation for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Gold Price Live – Gold & Silver Prices, Charts, Widgets, Melt Value Calculator 200+ · 2.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

Live Traffic Analytics – Real-Time Visitor & Bot Tracking – Google Analytics Alternative 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #21 3 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.