Customize Admin
by Johan van der Wijk · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 3 other plugins · 22.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
With this plugin you can use customize the appearance of the WordPress login page, dashboard and head section tags.
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 82/100
Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.9K estimated
Momentum
+70%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “css”, “custom” and “dashboard” for “customize dashboard”, “customize menu” and “admin area”. “css” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “customize dashboard” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “custom” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “customize menu” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “dashboard” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “admin area” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
82 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.3%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 131.4K 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 3 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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 40 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
3.6★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.05★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
19%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| customize admin | #2 | #11 | 0 |
| customize | #3 | #17 | 0 |
| customize dashboard | #6 | #20 | 0 |
| customize page | #5 | #20 | 0 |
| customize logo url | #5 | #19 | up 1 |
| customize menu | #10 | #23 | down 1 |
| admin area | #11 | #23 | down 2 |
| login customize | #7 | #23 | 0 |
| admin cleanup | #11 | #18 | down 1 |
| customize login page | #8 | #22 | — |
| customize login | #8 | #24 | up 1 |
| admin panel | #14 | #21 | 0 |
| wp dashboard customize | #10 | #24 | 0 |
| admin logo | #17 | #22 | 0 |
| admin colors | #16 | #22 | down 1 |
| admin color | #17 | #21 | up 1 |
| customize wordpress login | #11 | #24 | up 2 |
| login page customize | #11 | #23 | up 2 |
| super admin | #19 | #24 | 0 |
| customize wordpress login page | #13 | #22 | up 2 |
| css your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| dashboard your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| login your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| logo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
55 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 25 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “css”, “custom” and “dashboard” for “customize dashboard”, “customize menu” and “admin area”. “css” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “customize dashboard” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “custom” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “customize menu” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “dashboard” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “admin area” sits at #11 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.3K · 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.
3
releases in the last 12 months
1mo ago
latest release · v1.9.9 · 21 Sep 2026
29
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 84% 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 45 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 4K.
Install history since 11 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ cedaly196810.5y ago
Customize Admin keeps being inserted into my WordPress admin and then rootuser is inserted into MySQL. Customize Admin was put on my site ONCE by me and I had some issues so I removed it. During that install, there must have been a virus inserted elsewhere in WordPress because the plugin is reinstalling itself. The virus brought our server down the other day because it consumed all of the disk space. When it took off, there were literally hundreds of IP’s pinging other malicious files placed on our server.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stmike11.7y ago
Really good plugin , easy to use…thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rabbitpunch11.7y ago
This plug-in keeps installing itself somehow and adding root users and admins. Repeated removals of this plug-in, but it keeps coming back, and we’re not sure how. All other plug-ins are updated, and secure. This message keeps coming from my host: This is an urgent message concerning your 1&1 account. Our anti-virus scanner has reported that a malicious file has been uploaded to your 1&1 webspace. Name of the file: ~/*****/wp-content/plugins/customize-admin/info.php To protect you from hacker attacks, our anti-virus scanner checks every file that is uploaded or modified. If a file exhibits malicious patterns, it is automatically disabled. The plug-in is malicious. Do NOT install.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eric412.7y ago
The Customize Admin plugin works great and replaces these 3 plugins: 1. Login Logo 2. One Click Logout 3. Send From Would be nice if we could set login logo size (it’s now 80×80), otherwise perfect. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jabbo12613.4y ago
I know free plugins with much more options. Works fine, but nothon special.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.9.8 WordPress v7.0 compatibility tested. 1.9.8
- — Version 1.9.7 WordPress v6.9 compatibility tested. 1.9.7
- — Version 1.9.6 WordPress v6.8 compatibility tested. 1.9.6
- — Version 1.9.4 WordPress v6.7 compatibility tested. 1.9.4
- — Version 1.9.3 WordPress v6.6 compatibility tested. 1.9.3
- — Version 1.9.2 WordPress v6.5 compatibility tested. 1.9.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 124 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 100 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
3 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 "With this plugin you can use customize the appearance of the WordPress login page, dashboard and head secti..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 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 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,078 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "css" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-16 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-15 3K+ → 4K+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-09-10 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-09 3K+ → 4K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-09-07 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-06 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-05 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-04 3K+ → 4K+ up after 2 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).
-
Advanced CSS Editor 4K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
Customize Login Image 3K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags C -
White Label CMS 200K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Simple Custom CSS Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags C - L Login Logo 40K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Customize Admin into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/customize-admin" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Customize Admin — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Customize Admin: 3K+ active installs, 3.6★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/customize-admin
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