Author Post Ratings
by Philip Newcomer · Uncategorized
Also makes 6 other plugins · 3.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows a post author to assign a simple 1-5 star rating to a post, page, or custom post type, which will then be displayed on the post.
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
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+33%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “author”, “custom post type” and “post” 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 25,736 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.6%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 15.7K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.7.41, well behind 6.8.
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 4706 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.7.41; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 8 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4706 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| author your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom post type your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rating your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| stars 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
- “author”, “custom post type” and “post” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 139 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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.
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
12.9y ago
latest release · v1.1.1 · 12 Dec 2013
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 24 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 17 Jun 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Reggy11.7y ago
It’s surprisingly hard to find a plugin that just takes a number from 1 to 5, and converts it into stars for a rating system that authors can use for reviews. Nice work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bpebble11.8y ago
It’s simple and it works, and you can add code to a template to implement the rating whereever you like. I just wish there were multiple fields instead of just one so I could rate different features of the same item!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ antongorodezkiy12.6y ago
Thanks for your plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cromermusic12.6y ago
Great for reviewing post and pages. It’s easy to use and customize.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ blackbird12.8y ago
Mahalo, for writing this. It’s just what I needed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jahur13.2y ago
I was looking for a simple read only rating plugin just exactly like this one. Helps me a lot.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ web201013.5y ago
This is perfect if you write reviews. EZY4U – just how I like it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Squueeze13.9y ago
This is exaclty what I searched for. Saves me a lot of time. Thank you! It´s really cool that it supports Custom Post Types cause i only need this Author Ratings for my “Reviews” 🙂 Another nice Feature is that I can choose between using a Shortcode or a Template Tag. Good Stuff!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
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
5 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows a post author to assign a simple 1-5 star rating to a post, page, or custom post type, which will th..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,301 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-11-19 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-11-18 100+ → 200+ up after 37 days in tier
- 2024-10-12 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-10-11 100+ → 200+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2024-10-08 200+ → 100+ down after 279 days in tier
- 2024-01-03 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-01-02 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-01-01 300+ → 200+ down after 116 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).
-
WP-PostRatings 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
VK Post Author Display 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP Author, Date and Meta Remover 10K+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags D -
Custom Post Type Maker 6K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Autoremove Attachments 3K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Simple Revision Control 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Author Post Ratings into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/author-post-ratings" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Author Post Ratings — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Author Post Ratings: 100+ active installs, 5.0★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/author-post-ratings
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