ACF: Sidebar Selector
by danielpataki · Uncategorized
Also makes 12 other plugins · 6.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
A field for Advanced Custom Fields which allows you to select a sidebar
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
800+
≈860 estimated
Momentum
+8%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “custom fields” and “sidebar” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.8%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 13.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 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 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.2.39, well behind 7.1.
Details
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 4213 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.2.39; the current branch is 7.1
4.3★ over 7 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4213 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 | ||
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “custom fields” and “sidebar” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 789 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
11.5y ago
latest release · v3.0.0 · 22 Apr 2015
2
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 “800+”. 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 58% of the way through.
Install history since 19 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dekket7.0y ago
I’ve recently tested this on WP 5.3 and ACF v5.8.6 and it works as expected.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ andiszek9.8y ago
The Plugin works as advertised, and it does the job extremely well. thank you for developing it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pootato11.1y ago
Plugin works perfectly, big thanks to the developer! Ignore the lunatic “feeling4design”, this plugin does NOT delete anything. Man I’d hate to install anything designed by that amateur. *cough* http://codecanyon.net/user/feeling4design *cough*
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sunflowertheme12.2y ago
Thanks for great plugin, just note that you miss add global $wp_registered_sidebars; for render_field on v5. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ feeling4design12.2y ago
I LOST ALL MY THEME FILES BECAUSE OF THIS SHITTY PLUGIN. I RECOMMEND TO SKIP THIS ONE TO AVOID LOSING ALL YOUR FILES. YOU ARE WARNED. I WAS JUST FINISHING AFTER 3 DAYS WORK OF PROGRAMMING. INSTALLED THIS, AND ALL MY FILES GONE, NOT EVEN IN THE RECYCLE BIN!!!! AUTHOR, PLEASE STOP CREATING PLUGINS THANK YOU!!!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zaklik12.6y ago
This is just what I was looking for!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Leonardo Giacone12.6y ago
Exactly what I was looking for!
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 3 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A field for Advanced Custom Fields which allows you to select a sidebar"
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields, ACF.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ! Enough to quote 272 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-02 900+ → 800+ down after 181 days in tier
- 2025-12-03 1K+ → 900+ down after 984 days in tier
- 2023-03-25 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1311 days in tier
- 2019-08-22 600+ → 2K+ up
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 - 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 -
Advanced Custom Fields: Restrict Color Picker Options 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for ACF: Sidebar Selector into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/acf-sidebar-selector-field" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="ACF: Sidebar Selector — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> ACF: Sidebar Selector: 800+ active installs, 4.3★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/acf-sidebar-selector-field
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