ACF Enhanced Message Field
by Dreb Bitanghol · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 610+ installs across the portfolio →
Adds an enhanced version of the default Message field to accept PHP and certainly no wpauto().
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
D 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈660 estimated
Momentum
+45%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “acf”, “custom fields” and “message” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,764 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.4%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 13.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.5.0, well behind 6.8.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 7 reviews to 2020-05-25Reviewers say it does exactly what they need and works as expected, with one asking for a nicer IDE-style textarea and one older reviewer complaining about thin documentation and no support reply.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3838 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.5.0; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3838 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| acf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom fields your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| message your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| message field your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| php your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “acf”, “custom fields” and “message” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 183 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
10.5y ago
latest release · v1.1.1 · 30 Apr 2016
3
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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 62% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Jun 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ samjco6.4y ago
This is greatly needed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ thaikolja8.2y ago
Exactly what I needed. You could improve the plugin by making the textarea field look more like an IDE, with system fonts, syntax highlights and so on.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wiser39.3y ago
Worst plugin ever. Horribly incomplete documentation. Was never able to get any support. Never got it working right. I’d keep complaining but i don’t think i can in my swear words any longer.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ macardam9.6y ago
Works perfectly. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ivaxtobac11.4y ago
It works perfect!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sododesign11.8y ago
This is very great plugin for ACF. Thank you for sharing
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ christatingzon11.9y ago
It works good!
Read on wp.org ↗
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 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Adds an enhanced version of the default Message field to accept PHP and certainly no wpauto()."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 2 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("You: Should I include PHP tags").
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use this", "if you have").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 511 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "acf" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-16 800+ → 600+ down after 140 days in tier
- 2026-01-27 900+ → 800+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-01-25 800+ → 900+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2026-01-17 900+ → 800+ down after 184 days in tier
- 2025-07-17 1K+ → 900+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-07-15 900+ → 1K+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2025-07-07 1K+ → 900+ down after 139 days in tier
- 2025-02-18 900+ → 1K+ up after 1 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).
-
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
ACF Theme Code for Advanced Custom Fields 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D - A Advanced Custom Fields: Nav Menu Field 8K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
CubeWP Framework 3K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
Ajax Load More for Advanced Custom Fields 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for ACF Enhanced Message Field into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/acf-enhanced-message-field" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="ACF Enhanced Message Field — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> ACF Enhanced Message Field: 600+ active installs, 5.0★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/acf-enhanced-message-field
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