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

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

TextMe SMS shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 820 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #1 2 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WSMS (formerly WP SMS): SMS and OTP for WordPress and WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 افزونه پیامک ووکامرس | Persian WooCommerce SMS 50K+ · 4.5★ (118) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 SMS Alert – SMS Notifications & OTP Login, COD Verification, Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too high 11 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 Brevo – Email, SMS, Web Push, Chat, and more. 100K+ · 4.1★ (284) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications 5K+ · 4.7★ (439) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128) wp.org #22 ↑2 6 too low 17 Sender – Newsletter, SMS and Email Marketing Automation for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (83) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Newsletters, Email Marketing, SMS and Popups by Omnisend 100K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #13 ↑1 6 too high 20 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #16 ↑3 4 too high 21 WC – APG SMS Notifications 300+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 WPS Bookings for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 BulkGate SMS Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 TextMe SMS 500+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↑1 13 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.