Better Admin Bar
by David Vongries · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 8 other plugins · 96.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
The WordPress Admin Bar reimagined. Replace the default WordPress admin bar and provide logged-in users the user experience they deserve.
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 74/100
no flags
Active installs
3K+
≈3.6K estimated
Momentum
+31%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “margin”, “quick edit” and “admin bar” for “remove admin bar”, “admin branding” and “wordpress admin bar”. “margin” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “remove admin bar” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “quick edit” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “admin branding” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “admin bar” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “wordpress admin bar” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
74 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 100.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 2 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 348 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 19 reviews, smoothed to 4.29★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
10%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| replace admin bar your tag | #5 | #6 | 0 |
| adminbar your tag | #11 | #7 | down 1 |
| admin bar your tag | #15 | #20 | down 2 |
| wordpress admin bar | #21 | #22 | 0 |
| remove admin bar from website | #9 | #16 | down 1 |
| admin bar hide | #15 | #19 | down 1 |
| hide admin bar | #15 | #18 | down 2 |
| remove admin bar | #15 | #16 | down 5 |
| admin branding | #19 | #22 | up 1 |
| quick bar | #11 | #15 | 0 |
| customize admin bar | #16 | #19 | down 5 |
| user role specific admin bar | #17 | #22 | down 1 |
| edit bar | #19 | #22 | 0 |
| custom admin bar | #20 | #20 | down 4 |
| margin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| quick edit your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
20 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 14 listed. 6 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
- Swap “margin”, “quick edit” and “admin bar” for “remove admin bar”, “admin branding” and “wordpress admin bar”. “margin” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “remove admin bar” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “quick edit” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “admin branding” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “admin bar” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “wordpress admin bar” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “admin bar”. #15 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- One page off on “adminbar”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 5K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
12mo ago
latest release · v4.1.4 · 17 Nov 2025
35
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 70% 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 “3K+”. 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 5 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ pagrob4.6y ago
funziona bene da frontend 🙂 This topic was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by pagrob.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nealumphred4.7y ago
I love this plugin! It’s easy to understand, easy to configure, and easy to use. Makes moving around on my blog from page to page so much more convenient. Keep on keepin’ on … This topic was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by nealumphred.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ morvy4.7y ago
I didn’t even know I needed this plugin, it really helps on sites with sticky header.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ threeoten5.0y ago
So simple to set up, customize, and this is so helpful for dev work on WP sites! Thank you much!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ abitofmind5.2y ago
Pros & Cons ++ The given options allow a lot of tweaking regarding look and feel. + You don’t have a full role-specific setup, but I assume the specificity provided will be sufficient for most simple WordPress setups: • Hide admin bar for all users • Hide admin bar for all users except admin • Combined with “Auto-hide admin bar” you can achieve a lot of specific behaviors. See “Example Setups” below. + Works reliable. – There’s a minor bug which to me is a “hidden feature actually” 😉: You can already click the admin bar items while the hover-delay has not yet passed and therefore the revealing of the bar has not yet kicked in. Not at the blank part of the menu, but at the positions where the click-able items are. The developer is aware of this and suggested to enable the option “Fix multiline admin bar”. But in my case it didn’t change the behavior. As said, I do not mind, b/c for me it’s not a bug but a feature. Example Setups 1) Tweak to get zero distraction and no interference with the normal top menu: • Admin bar opacity (inactive) to 0%. • Top hover area height (if autohide): 4px • Hover delay: 2000ms 2) Hide admin bar for all users except admin ON + Auto-hide admin bar ON + Normal users see nothing. + Nevertheless they can login and logout by direct URL access. + Admin can reveal the menu with hovering. 3) Hide admin bar for all users except admin OFF + Auto-hide admin bar ON + Nobody sees the menu by default as auto-hide is on. + Those with special knowhow of the hover zone (4px + 2000ms) can access the menu if in need. ++ The admin knows this anyhow and it’s not making her/him less productive, with the proper settings. ++ Editors, lectors, etc can be instructed. Perfect!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Alexandrio5.5y ago
A very useful thing. I make the admin bar invisible, so its black background doesn’t interfere with the design of the header anymore. Yet I know that the bar is still there, available on hover. The adjustible delay on hover – what a bright idea! Sometimes I need a longer delay if there are links on the very top of the header and I need their reaction to come first on hover, before the admin bar to appear. This topic was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Alexandrio.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris Duke6.3y ago
I’ve been using WordPress for decades it seems. How have I only found out about this now? It’s incredible… I love the auto hide and tap near the top (just under the address bar) to bring it back. I rarely need the admin bar but it’s nice to have it available, on demand, when I do. Thanks for an awesome plug-in!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ valuebg7.2y ago
Much more convenient than adding custom admin bar CSS for each theme I make– thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.1.4 Fixed: HTML entity escaping in inline JavaScript and CSS that broke the Auto Hide Admin Bar feature 4.1.4
- — Version 4.1.3 Fixed: Various code improvements and escaping issues for better security and coding standards compliance 4.1.3
- — Version 4.1.2 Tested up to WordPress 6.8 4.1.2
- — Version 4.1.1 Fixed: Adjust the animation in the quick access panel preview when items are reordered 4.1.1
- — Version 4.1 New: Preview the quick access panel from within the WordPress backend to see all your changes in real-time 4.1
- — Version 4.0.7 Tested up to WordPress 6.4 4.0.7
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.3
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
4 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 "The WordPress Admin Bar reimagined. Replace the default WordPress admin bar and provide logged-in users the..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("designed for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,309 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 5 tags appear in the text ("adminbar", "margin", "quick edit", "Replace Admin Bar" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-15 4K+ → 3K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-06-12 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-11 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-10 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-09 4K+ → 3K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-06-06 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-06-05 4K+ → 3K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-06-01 3K+ → 4K+ 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).
-
Quick Edit Post by ID (Admin Bar) — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A - D Disable Toolbar 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Admin Bar Fix 400+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Admin Bar Wrap Fix 200+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
Hide Front End WP Admin Bar 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Admin Bar into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-admin-bar" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Admin Bar — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Admin Bar: 3K+ active installs, 4.8★ (19 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-admin-bar
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