Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly)
by Ryan Hellyer · Privacy & Consent
Also makes 13 other plugins · 76.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Disable the WordPress emoji functionality to improve performance and privacy.
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 88/100
no flags
Active installs
60K+
≈65K estimated
Momentum
+27%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “friendly” and “improve performance” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5 and #17 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
88 health vs 69 average across 910 Privacy & Consent 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 Privacy & Consent plugin keeps 2.1%, across 501 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Privacy & Consent 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 6 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
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-04-30Reviewers keep calling it a tiny, no-upsell plugin that just works and trims emoji code for faster loads, though one recent reviewer wonders whether it's still needed.
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 148 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 108 reviews, smoothed to 4.72★
4 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.
36
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
12%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| emojis your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| disable emojis | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| emoji | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| disable emoji scripts | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| disable emoji | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| disable your tag | #4 | #3 | down 1 |
| friendly | #5 | #4 | down 2 |
| wp emoji | #2 | #2 | up 1 |
| gdpr your tag | #9 | #9 | down 2 |
| functionality | #12 | #13 | down 3 |
| plugin disable | #5 | #4 | down 1 |
| disable plugin | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| disable site | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| improve performance | #17 | #16 | up 1 |
| disable plugins | #7 | #8 | down 1 |
| disable plugins by page | #9 | #7 | 0 |
| privacy friendly | #13 | #11 | down 1 |
| gdpr wordpress | #16 | #14 | 0 |
| wordpress gdpr | #16 | #14 | down 1 |
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
69 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 19 listed. 50 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “friendly” and “improve performance” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5 and #17 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 96K · 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.
6
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v1.9.3 · 5 Jun 2026
22
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 53% 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 “60K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.3 years ago; the previous band took 3.9 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 3 Nov 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ theatercuriosum6mo ago
I think the plugin does what it says. No errors, no ads, no premium. Just a tiny plugin.Though I never found out, if it is still necessary in 2026.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous1.1y ago
It’s so rare to find a plugin these days that has no bloat, no upsells, no ANYTHING beyond exactly what’s needed to get the job done. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ TraceMyIP1.4y ago
Disable Emojis by Ryan Hellyer is a gem! With 60k+ active installs and nearly perfect 5-star rating, it’s clearly doing something right. This lightweight plugin strips out WordPress’s bloated emoji code while keeping your content looking great in modern browsers. The GDPR-friendly bonus is huge – it stops DNS prefetching to external emoji servers, protecting visitor privacy. Ryan’s been maintaining this for years and it shows. Your site loads faster, stays compliant, and emojis still work naturally. Win-win-win!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kianmovahhed2.0y ago
Does not activate. Every time I click “activate”, the page just refreshes with no action.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris Lovie-Tyler2.5y ago
Thanks for making this plugin, Ryan!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Walf3.4y ago
No settings, just works.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Huckleberry4.1y ago
Tested with PageSpeed Insights.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mahyulan5.1y ago
Simple, lightweight and just doing the job! Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2026-06-05 Version 1.9.3 Fixed package name in Composer installation instructions (emojiis → emojis) 1.9.3
- 2026-05-10 Version 1.9.2 Documentation change — removed references to Modularity and PSR-4 autoloading 1.9.2
- 2026-05-10 Version 1.9.1 Removed Composer autoloader — plugin loads via require_once instead of the vendor/autoload.php 1.9.1
- 2026-05-06 Version 1.9 Name spacing the PSR implementation to prevent plugin clashes 1.9
- 2026-04-30 Version 1.8 Refactor for modern PHP standards 1.8
- 2026-04-29 Version 1.7.8 Confirmed support for newer WordPress versions. 1.7.8
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 23 languages, 23 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
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Disable the WordPress emoji functionality to improve performance and privacy."
- ✓ 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 6 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,499 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 4 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-07-26 70K+ → 60K+ down after 1424 days in tier
- 2020-09-01 80K+ → 70K+ down after 327 days in tier
- 2019-10-10 70K+ → 80K+ up after 36 days in tier
- 2019-09-04 80K+ → 70K+ down after 368 days in tier
- 2018-09-01 70K+ → 80K+ up after 92 days in tier
- 2018-06-01 60K+ → 70K+ up after 123 days in tier
- 2018-01-29 50K+ → 60K+ up after 210 days in tier
- 2017-07-03 40K+ → 50K+ up after 236 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).
-
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LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag B - C Classic Widgets 2M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag B
-
WP Super Cache 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/disable-emojis" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly): 60K+ active installs, 5.0★ (108 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/disable-emojis
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