Classic Smilies
by Samuel Wood (Otto) · Uncategorized
Also makes 9 other plugins · 127.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Replace the smilies with the original versions from previous versions of WordPress.
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
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
-1%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “classic” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 11.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,783 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.4.34, well behind 7.1.
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 3954 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.4.34; the current branch is 7.1
4.9★ over 13 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.3★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3954 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| smilies your tag | #24 | #15 | 0 |
| classic your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “classic” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 200 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 24 months ago; the previous band took 18 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 27 May 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Gulshan Kumar10.1y ago
I have been using this plugin and I proudly recommend to everyone. PRO – It improve performance by removing inline JS and reducing HTTP requests. Cons – Smiley images shouldn’t be look dull. It could be appear clear like Original. Thanks & Regards, Gulshan
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sobak11.1y ago
It’s a shame that plugin like this is needed at all, but this one does its job very well. It’s lightweight and focused on a goal.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kech6111.5y ago
WordPress > 4.2 sems to call smilies in runtime from external resources. This adds external requests, increases loadtime and reduces page-speed-index. This plugin reinvents the old, well known smilies AND hosts them on your own site – no external calls! Works on WordPress and BBPress. Thanks a lot Christian
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Polish Ladies Cleaning Service11.5y ago
Thank goodness we can have the old smilies/emoticons back!!! Sad it takes yet another plugin to be installed, though. >:-[ The automatic substitution of emojis by the latest WP updates is absolutely ridiculous — ridiculous because, despite all the technical reasons given for the new sad state of affairs, we’re talking about computers here, folks: they do what they’re told by human coders! But WP developers are acting like they had no choice but to automatically substitute emojis as they tried improving WP support for Asian languages…geez, it feels like listening to politicians spin one of their latest inexcusable scandals!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Antonio Sanchez11.5y ago
I also find ridiculous that the emojis are added to core by default. This plugin solves the problem 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ crzyhrse11.5y ago
And thanks… 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ adnaniub11.5y ago
Works very well, Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Orlandoo11.5y ago
Thank you for this plugin. Removes the most useless update from WordPress.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Replace the smilies with the original versions from previous versions of WordPress."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 171 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 1 of 2 tags appear in the text; "classic" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-11-11 300+ → 200+ down after 541 days in tier
- 2023-05-20 400+ → 300+ down after 533 days in tier
- 2021-12-03 500+ → 400+ down after 184 days in tier
- 2021-06-02 900+ → 500+ down after 183 days in tier
- 2020-12-01 1K+ → 900+ down after 1437 days in tier
- 2016-12-25 600+ → 1K+ up after 476 days in tier
- 2015-09-06 300+ → 600+ up
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).
-
Classic Menu in Navigation Block 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B -
Really Disable Emojis 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Keep Emoticons as Text 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A - G Gutenbye 700+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
-
Snake Retro Game Shortcode by Eskim 80+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag - A Allow Shortcodes in Text Widgets 60+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Classic Smilies into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/classic-smilies" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Classic Smilies — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Classic Smilies: 200+ active installs, 4.9★ (13 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/classic-smilies
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