Delete Pending Comments
by Sudar Muthu · Security
Also makes 20 other plugins · 17.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
A quick way to delete all pending and spam comments. Useful for victims of spammer attacks.
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
C 55/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
8K+
≈9K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “comments” for “pending comments”. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pending comments” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
55 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.1%
of downloads still active
At least 8K of 155.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2024-02-05Most reviewers love how fast it wipes thousands of spam comments, but two warn that an update deleted all their comments including approved ones, so the newest reviews are back to glowing 5-star praise.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1008 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.4.14; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 94 reviews, smoothed to 4.49★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1008 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.
25
Momentum
Losing ground
-2.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 19d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 19d
-1.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| mass delete comments your tag | #9 | #6 | down 2 |
| pending comments | #17 | #13 | down 4 |
| comments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| delete your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| pending your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “comments” for “pending comments”. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pending comments” sits at #17 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 861 · 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
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
2.8y ago
latest release · v1.0.0 · 28 Jan 2024
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 88% 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 “8K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 days ago and the previous band took 7.3 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 9K.
Install history since 16 Nov 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ rol692.7y ago
Das Plugin hat mit einem Klick tausendfachen Spam entfernt. Es gibt keine weiteren Einstellungen. Nach Installation und Aktivierung des Plugins auf die Kommentarseite gehen. Oben steht ein Button “Spam löschen”. Perfektes Plugin, vielen Dank.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pipi8423.6y ago
Best plugin to delete comments so far, please keep it updated. 🙏
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ KeithRowley4.0y ago
2000 spam cpmments gone in a moment on latest WP version 6.1. Nothing to worry about here!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jrp14.4y ago
The latest update delets ALL comments, not just pending comments. Beware and do NOT use if you have valid comments that you don’t want to be scrubbed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ malikjozane5.0y ago
It deletes all comments, even approved ones. So be careful before you use it guys.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Nick van de Veerdonk5.3y ago
‘There’s a plugin for everything’, sure, but this one solved a problem I’ve been having for a LONG time… Thanks! Easy and quick, almost as if nothing happened at all 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anthony Keller5.6y ago
Great plugin my friends !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Steve5.9y ago
Does what it says quickly and easily. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.0.0 Added support for PHP 5.3 to 7.4 Added support for WordPress versions upto 5.5 Fixed deprecation messages and warnings Fixed a couple of UI issues Going forward this plugin will be maintained by Sudar Muthu 1.0.0
- — Version 0.2.1.2 Documentation update and test against 3.5 0.2.1.2
- — Version 0.2.1.1 Documentation update 0.2.1.1
- — Version 0.2.1 Manipulate the database directly. Using WordPress functions was way too slow with 10k or more pending comments. 0.2.1
- — Version 0.1.1.1 Fix version number… 0.1.1.1
- — Version 0.1.1 Add icon by famfamfam to the Admin Drop Down Menu . Re-organize files 0.1.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.5
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 2 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
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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 445 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "mass delete comments" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-27 10K+ → 8K+ down after 2653 days in tier
- 2019-07-23 20K+ → 10K+ down after 751 days in tier
- 2017-07-02 30K+ → 20K+ down after 463 days in tier
- 2016-03-26 40K+ → 30K+ down
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).
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - C Cookies for Comments 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D
- T Throws SPAM Away 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
-
Simply Disable Comments 8K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Spam Destroyer 5K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Delete Pending Comments into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/delete-pending-comments" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Delete Pending Comments — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Delete Pending Comments: 8K+ active installs, 4.7★ (94 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/delete-pending-comments
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