Buckets
by matthewordie · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 400+ installs across the portfolio →
A widgets alternative that lets you place content anywhere easily.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews · Open vulnerability
Active installs
400+
≈490 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “acf”, “advanced custom fields” and “buckets” 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.
49 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.2%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 18.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,767 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 4.8.34, 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 3320 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; 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 3320 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| acf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| advanced custom fields your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| buckets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets 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
- “acf”, “advanced custom fields” and “buckets” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 207 · 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
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
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
9.1y ago
latest release · v0.3.9 · 28 Sep 2017
15
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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 54 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 500.
Install history since 2 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ leopedrazac27.0y ago
Awesome Plugin, thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous12.7y ago
This is a great default plugin for most any site especially when you need to “reuse” the same content in various places on your site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sarah Gooding12.7y ago
Works great and is easy to use.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nmcleish13.6y ago
Hi all. This looks like it has promise but when I try to activate it, I get this error: Fatal error: Call to undefined function register_field() in /path_to_my_blog/blog/wp-content/plugins/buckets/buckets.php on line 76 There is no function in that file with that name. Does anyone have any ideas please? Thanks in advance. Neil.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (0.3.9). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- 2025-09-22 CVE-2025-57996 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 0.3.9 No patch available
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 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 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A widgets alternative that lets you place content anywhere easily."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("made for", "if you have").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,152 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "acf" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-07 500+ → 400+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-09-05 400+ → 500+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-09-03 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-02 400+ → 500+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-08-28 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-27 400+ → 500+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-26 500+ → 400+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-24 400+ → 500+ 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).
-
ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO 100K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
ACF Photo Gallery Field 60K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced Custom Fields: Gravity Forms Add-on 30K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
ACF Field For CF7 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Buckets into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/buckets" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Buckets — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Buckets: 400+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/buckets
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