AboveWP Admin Dark Mode
by AboveWP · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 6 other plugins · 2.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Toggle between light and dark modes in your WordPress admin area with multiple themes, scheduling, and advanced customization options.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 84/100
Few reviews
Active installs
90+
≈90 estimated
Momentum
+39%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “dark theme”. #12 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
84 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.0%
of downloads still active
At least 90 of 2.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 4 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 2 reviews to 2025-11-27Both reviewers are happy, calling it simple, stable and easy on the eyes, with one saying it belongs in WordPress core.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 57 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
10%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| night mode your tag | #8 | #20 | 0 |
| dark mode your tag | #9 | #16 | down 1 |
| dark | #10 | #19 | down 2 |
| dark theme your tag | #12 | #20 | down 3 |
| dark mode toggle | #6 | #16 | 0 |
| dark ui | #6 | #17 | 0 |
| admin ui your tag | #20 | #24 | 0 |
| go dark | #8 | #17 | up 1 |
| wordpress dark mode | #8 | #18 | up 1 |
| wordpress night mode | #9 | #22 | 0 |
| night mode for wordpress | #9 | #22 | 0 |
| light dark toggle | #9 | #19 | 0 |
| dark site | #10 | #18 | — |
| dark mode plugin | #10 | #18 | down 1 |
| admin customization | #22 | #23 | down 4 |
| wp dark mode | #14 | #21 | down 1 |
| admin panel customization | #15 | #20 | 0 |
| night theme | #15 | #23 | up 2 |
| admin light theme | #16 | #24 | down 1 |
| light mode | #18 | #23 | down 1 |
| admin theme your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
30 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 10 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “dark theme”. #12 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “admin theme” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 29 Apr 2025 · 550 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 244 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #16,800 to #17,400, alongside the other plugins at 90+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v1.2.1 · 4 Sep 2026
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “90+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 90.
At the current install trend, crossing 100+ in roughly 87 days.
Install history since 29 Apr 2025
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ THE CANDY TRAIL11mo ago
Simple plug-in that saves you from a white admin screen (3 dark themes included). Great when you already have dark mode bundled with your Theme frontend (but not on the back). This admin mode should be in the WP Core. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ georgem031.4y ago
Feels very nice and not buggy like the others, thanks!My eyes dont hurt anymore!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,485 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("admin theme", "admin ui", "Night Mode" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-26 80+ → 90+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-25 90+ → 80+ down after 47 days in tier
- 2026-09-08 80+ → 90+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2026-08-31 90+ → 80+ down after 14 days in tier
- 2026-08-17 80+ → 90+ up after 58 days in tier
- 2026-06-20 90+ → 80+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-19 80+ → 90+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2026-06-13 90+ → 80+ down after 3 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Mawu Dark Mode for the Admin Dashboard, Editor & Website 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 4 shared tags B -
Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Dark Mode Toggle 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
DarkMySite – Advanced Dark Mode Plugin for WordPress 900+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for AboveWP Admin Dark Mode into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/abovewp-admin-dark-mode" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="AboveWP Admin Dark Mode — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> AboveWP Admin Dark Mode: 90+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/abovewp-admin-dark-mode
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