AW Simple Sorter
by AndyWarren · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 110+ installs across the portfolio →
AW Simple Sorter allows you to display a set of posts in a responsive portfolio type layout and sort them by category similar to jQuery Quicksand.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
-59%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “portfolio” and “responsive” 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.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 2.8K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,764 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.7.39, 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 3566 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3566 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.
46
Momentum
Holding steady
+0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 7d
33%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 7d
+0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| quicksand your tag | #4 | #3 | up 1 |
| quicksand responsive | #2 | #1 | 0 |
| portfolio your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| portfolio sorting your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| responsive your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| simple sorter your tag | Not checked yet | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “portfolio” and “responsive” 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 6 Oct 2022 · 1,486 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 167 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,100 to #45,000, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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
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.
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 22 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 10 Aug 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ nate2210.9y ago
For some reason, I thought it was going to be complicated, but it couldn’t be simpler. This one plugin does well what so many other plugins almost do. It also doesn’t have a lot of crappy styling that you just have to override; it’s quite nice by default and minimal enough that customizing it with a little CSS should be a breeze. The only question I have is: can I change the URL where it says “aw-simple-sorter” to something like “portfolio” or “work”?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ marius_who11.1y ago
After days of searching the web for an Quicksand sort alternative for WordPress I found this simple but perfect and easy to include plugin. Also the support from the Plugin Author was perfect and fast.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ photokulinar11.2y ago
The plugin does all written in the description. Unlike many others, it works well on my site. There were a few minor problems, but the author has helped to solve them at supersonic speed. Good plugin, exellent support!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ AndyWarren11.5y ago
I guess I can. Lets start this out with a 5 star review!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.4
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
2 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 "AW Simple Sorter allows you to display a set of posts in a responsive portfolio type layout and sort them b..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 473 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "Portfolio Sorting" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-01-17 20+ → 10+ down after 170 days in tier
- 2024-07-31 10+ → 20+ up after 89 days in tier
- 2024-05-03 20+ → 10+ down after 90 days in tier
- 2024-02-03 10+ → 20+ up after 329 days in tier
- 2023-03-11 20+ → 10+ down after 33 days in tier
- 2023-02-06 10+ → 20+ up after 14 days in tier
- 2023-01-23 20+ → 10+ down after 87 days in tier
- 2022-10-28 10+ → 20+ up after 21 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).
-
Sight – Professional Image Gallery and Portfolio 3K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Filter Gallery 3K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A - P Portfolio Manager Lite 80+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Arconix Portfolio 70+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Show Posts 60K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for AW Simple Sorter into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/aw-simple-sorter" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="AW Simple Sorter — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> AW Simple Sorter: 10+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/aw-simple-sorter
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