aThemes Starter Sites
by Syed Balkhi · Page Builders
Also makes 99 other plugins · 21.7M+ installs across the portfolio →
We've got a full and ever-growing library stocked with ready-made templates for any kind of business.
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 83/100
Few reviews
Active installs
30K+
≈40K estimated
Momentum
-12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “demos”, “elementor” and “import” 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.
83 health vs 72 average across 1,893 Page Builders plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.4%
of downloads still active
At least 30K of 2.1M lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Page Builders plugin keeps 2.4%, across 1,269 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Page Builders 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 11 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
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 88 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
2.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.02★ 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
4%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| athemes your tag | #2 | #12 | 0 |
| starter sites | #4 | #23 | up 1 |
| starter | #6 | #23 | up 1 |
| sites your tag | #10 | #24 | up 2 |
| elementor starter sites | #4 | #24 | 0 |
| starter site | #5 | #23 | 0 |
| starter templates | #14 | #24 | down 1 |
| my sites | #13 | #24 | 0 |
| demos your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| elementor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| import your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
26 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 18 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “demos”, “elementor” and “import” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 132.9K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
11
releases in the last 12 months
3mo ago
latest release · v1.4.2 · 6 Aug 2026
22
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 23% 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 “30K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 days ago and the previous band took 16 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 40K.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ milku2.7y ago
This is a fake company that scams users This topic was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by milku.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ PortMacOnline3.2y ago
This plugin sounds great, but nowhere in the description does it mention that you need to have an aThemes theme installed to use these starter sites! If you dig down into the FAQs it does mention it, but it would save a lot of frustration if it was mentioned in the main description!I haven’t tried either the aThemes Starter Sites plugin or the aThemes Themes, and they may well be great, but the Starter Sites plugin wasn’t what I needed, and I had to install, activate, then de-activate, delete the plugin, then go back and check the FAQs to find out that it worked with their theme! I respectfully suggest that you rewrite the main description and make this little fact more obvious if you want people to take your products seriously.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.4.1 Added – New Botiga Pet Shop starter site with Gutenberg and Elementor support. 1.4.1
- — Version 1.4.0 Added – Support for the WordPress Abilities API: new list-sites and import-site abilities enable listing and importing starter sites programmatically (disabled by default, enabled per theme). 1.4.0
- — Version 1.3.1 Fixed – Corrected the live preview URLs for the Walkathon, Pet Shop, and Barbershop starter sites so the Customize step preview loads the correct demo. 1.3.1
- — Version 1.3.0 Added – Three new Sydney starter sites: Walkathon (charity, requires Charitable), Pet Shop (WooCommerce), and Barbershop, with updated demo ordering. 1.3.0
- — Version 1.2.0 Changed – Updated the onboarding wizard recommended features to include SEO, privacy compliance, and backup recommendations. 1.2.0
- — Version 1.1.9 Changed – Updated the Botiga onboarding v2 flow with follow-up improvements for the Pages, Features, and Import steps. Fixed – WPForms Lite pre-selection now follows the Contact page selection during the initial recommen 1.1.9
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.4.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 aThemes Starter Sites <= 1.0.53 - Authenticated (Author+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via SVG File Upload ↗2024-07-26 CVE-2024-6897 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.0.53 Patched in 1.0.54
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 at 90% or more
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
6 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 Mentions Elementor, Gutenberg.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,239 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "demos" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-18 40K+ → 30K+ down after 472 days in tier
- 2025-07-03 50K+ → 40K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-07-01 40K+ → 50K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-06-30 50K+ → 40K+ down
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).
-
Demo Importer Plus 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Hester Core 10K+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
Popularis Extra 6K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C -
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
One Click Demo Import 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for aThemes Starter Sites into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/athemes-starter-sites" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="aThemes Starter Sites — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> aThemes Starter Sites: 30K+ active installs, 2.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/athemes-starter-sites
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