Better Font Awesome
by Mickey Kay · Blocks
Also makes 5 other plugins · 61.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add Font Awesome Free icons that stay current automatically, with a native WordPress block, shortcodes, a Classic Editor picker, and legacy support.
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
A 89/100
no flags
Active installs
60K+
≈68K estimated
Momentum
-65%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “block editor”, “icons” and “shortcode” for “better”, “font” and “stay”. “block editor” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “better” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “icons” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “font” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “shortcode” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “stay” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
89 health vs 71 average across 2,527 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.7%
of downloads still active
At least 60K of 1.3M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Blocks plugin keeps 2.1%, across 1,580 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Blocks 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 5 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 52 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.5★ over 88 reviews, smoothed to 4.36★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
12%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| icon font your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| font awesome your tag | #2 | #2 | down 1 |
| awesome | #3 | #3 | down 2 |
| add font | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| better | #4 | #6 | 0 |
| font | #4 | #4 | down 1 |
| font awesome fonts | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| font awesome 5 | #2 | #2 | — |
| font awesome icons | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| shortcode font awesome | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| use any font | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| font icon | #3 | #3 | down 2 |
| stay | #9 | #11 | down 1 |
| wordpress font | #4 | #4 | down 1 |
| font plugin | #5 | #5 | down 2 |
| font icons | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| current | #13 | #13 | down 2 |
| legacy | #13 | #12 | down 3 |
| picker | #16 | #15 | 0 |
| fa icon | #8 | #4 | 0 |
| block editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| icons your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
123 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 99 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
- Swap “block editor”, “icons” and “shortcode” for “better”, “font” and “stay”. “block editor” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “better” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “icons” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “font” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “shortcode” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “stay” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 101.9K · 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.
5
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v3.2.0 · 10 Sep 2026
24
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “60K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 70K.
Install history since 6 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Verzenden6mo ago
After installation I don’t see any tinymce editor anywhere, the only use seems shortcodes. Lack of documentation on how to use it, it is free and it shows. Where I want an icon I cannot use shortcode. Uninstalled after 1 hour.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Avrom10mo ago
Great job! This plugin worked perfectly and supported the older Font Awesome 5+ versions I prefer. However, I see the plugin hasn’t been updated in 11 months. I truly hope the author will continue to support the plugin. Be sad if it becomes abandoned. As an FYI, the official Font Awesome plugin was difficult… and this plugin actually worked right out of the box.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ luisserrano4.1y ago
Cant type in search form from Better Font Awesome By Mickey Kay. Click in search bar to start typing is not working. Cant attach Youtube link so you can find the video searching there for: “WordPress plugin Better Font Awesome By Mickey Kay”
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ puciriusanikola4.7y ago
The filter in TinyMCE editor for Better Font Awesome isn’t working (unresponsive). Will this issue be resolved in any time soon?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kristian Yngve5.5y ago
Something simple like [icon name=”facebook-f”] And nope – sh*t plugin. Do NOT recommend it. Here is what worked for me despite older and less updated plugin – works better than this plugin: WP SVG Icons This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Kristian Yngve.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Reiner19575.7y ago
Nach dem Update fehlerhaft – seit über einer Woche nicht nachgebessert. Keine Reaktion. Miserabler Support! Buggy after update – not fixed for more than one week now. No reaction. Very bad support!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ merlin17645.7y ago
Sad about this 🙁 After the new release (2.x) all seems to work fine. This topic was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by merlin1764.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ marcfuller5.7y ago
I hate to say it, this used to be a great plugin for Font Awesome, but not anymore. AVOID IT! WordPress 5.6x killed it and the author shows no interest in fixing it. The plugin’s current version does not work. None of the betas work.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.0.4 Bump BFAL to properly esc attributes Add unit tests 2.0.4
- — Version 2.0.3 Bugfix: fix broken icon text selection Improve admin settings success/error message logic 2.0.3
- — Version 2.0.2 Bugfix: fix CSRF vulnerability 2.0.2
- — Version 2.0.1 Bugfix: add necessary @font-face mappings to ensure site-specific CSS and pseudo-elements render correctly 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0.0 Add support for Font Awesome v5 Integration with Font Awesome GraphQL API for all data fetching (improve performance) Integrate with Font Awesome CDN for all CSS Add option to include the v4 Font Awesome CSS shim to supp 2.0.0
- — Version 1.7.6 Fix: revert to 1.7.4 codebase. Fix: remove calls to ready() jQuery method to support latest jQuery versions. 1.7.6
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (3.2.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Better Font Awesome <= 2.0.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcodes ↗2023-01-18 CVE-2022-4512 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.0.3 Patched in 2.0.4
- Patched Medium · 6.5 Better Font Awesome <= 2.0.1 - Missing Authorization to Plugin Options Update ↗2022-08-26 Missing Authorization Affects 2.0.1 Patched in 2.0.2
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.1.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 34 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 10 more locales with partial translations.
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
7 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Add Font Awesome Free icons that stay current automatically, with a native WordPress block, shortcodes, a C..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 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 Block editor, Cloudflare.
- ✓ Headings and lists 11 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 8,780 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "icon font" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-06 70K+ → 60K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-05 60K+ → 70K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-03 70K+ → 60K+ down after 288 days in tier
- 2025-10-19 80K+ → 70K+ down after 324 days in tier
- 2024-11-29 90K+ → 80K+ down after 199 days in tier
- 2024-05-14 100K+ → 90K+ down after 2294 days in tier
- 2018-02-01 70K+ → 100K+ up after 211 days in tier
- 2017-07-05 60K+ → 70K+ up after 27 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).
-
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Web Icons 1K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
List Last Changes 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Shortcode for Font Awesome 700+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
Classic Editor 8M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Font Awesome into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-font-awesome" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Font Awesome — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Font Awesome: 60K+ active installs, 4.5★ (88 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-font-awesome
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