Generate Child Theme
by Catch Themes · Uncategorized
Also makes 12 other plugins · 153.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Create child themes of any WordPress themes effortlessly with Generate Child Theme.
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 83/100
no flags
Active installs
9K+
≈9.5K estimated
Momentum
-17%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “design”, “custom theme” and “theme” for “theme generator”, “child” and “themes”. “design” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “theme generator” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “custom theme” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #12. “child” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “theme” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “themes” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
83 health vs 58 average across 25,733 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.2%
of downloads still active
At least 9K of 146.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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.
This plugin shipped 2 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 157 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 15 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
14%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| generate | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| child themes | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| child theme generate | #1 | #2 | — |
| child theme generator your tag | #3 | #6 | 0 |
| child theme your tag | #3 | #5 | down 1 |
| create child theme | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| child | #6 | #10 | down 1 |
| theme generator | #4 | #8 | 0 |
| theme design | #3 | #8 | 0 |
| theme your tag | #11 | #18 | down 2 |
| themes | #10 | #19 | down 1 |
| child theme check | #4 | #11 | 0 |
| custom theme your tag | #12 | #21 | down 1 |
| child pages | #7 | #9 | 0 |
| child page | #6 | #12 | 0 |
| wordpress theme | #14 | #22 | up 1 |
| theme updates | #15 | #20 | down 2 |
| download theme | #15 | #21 | 0 |
| theme update | #16 | #21 | down 1 |
| theme customizer | #15 | #20 | up 1 |
| design your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
48 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 23 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
- Swap “design”, “custom theme” and “theme” for “theme generator”, “child” and “themes”. “design” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “theme generator” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “custom theme” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #12. “child” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “theme” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #11. “themes” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “custom theme”. #12 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- One page off on “theme”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 6.8K · 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.
2
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v2.3 · 27 May 2026
20
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 49% 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 “9K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 10 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ricardosilvestri2.3y ago
If you’re at all uncertain about this plugin, fear not; it’s easy to use, and you get the peace of mind that comes with having a – very necessary – child theme. Highly recommended.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Cliff2.3y ago
It’s simple and it works. If you have added some CSS in your theme customizer, be sure to copy that across to the new child theme.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kashka233.7y ago
Thought it would be an easy fix instead of manually creating a child theme, but it didn’t actually copy over the style sheet, so none of my featured images were showing anymore. When I tried to fix that, my site broke. Maybe it’s good for people who are more technical than I am, but then you probably wouldn’t need this plugin to begin with.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ paulman3.8y ago
Great Catch plugin – does what it says – highly recommend it (used it on two sites and it was easy to use)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jonas4.6y ago
thank you very much
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ luisalvarez55.1y ago
Excelent
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pewgeuges5.2y ago
Whenever I need to use a child theme I now always use the free Generate Child Theme by Catch Plugins. The only thing that you need to pay attention to is to never start your child theme’s name with a digit, or your website will crash like this. That is because the theme name is used to derive a function name, and like in other languages, the first character in a PHP function name is in ranges a-z or A-Z or underscore. This topic was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by pewgeuges.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rockychq585.4y ago
My feeling is that plugins like this cannot be guaranteed to work with all themes. This was the case with my theme. Once installed and used to generate a child-theme I found certain styles were over-ridden. Worse was that the little icons that are attached to Elementor editing boxes disappeared. They stayed disappeared even after reactivating the main theme. Disappointing. I think the Plugin page should provide instructions on how to restore everything if it doesn’t work properly with a particular theme, and also add a warning about possible conflicts like this. If it works for you then this is a useful plugin but you won’t know until you use it.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.3 Bug Fixed: Security improvements — input sanitization and nonce verification hardened throughout Bug Fixed: Child theme file generation now uses WordPress Filesystem API instead of file_put_contents() Bug Fixed: Scripts 2.3
- — Version 2.2 Bug Fixed: WordPress.WP.AlternativeFunctions.file_system_operations_mkdir Bug Fixed: WordPress.WP.I18n.MissingTranslatorsComment Bug Fixed: WordPress.WP.I18n.TextDomainMismatch Bug Fixed: plugin_header_invalid_plugin_uri 2.2
- — Version 2.1.1 Compatibility check up to version 6.8 2.1.1
- — Version 2.1 Compatibility check up to version 6.5 2.1
- — Version 2.0.1 Bug Fixed: CSRF vulnerability while generating child theme (Reported by: Darius Sveikauskas https://patchstack.com) 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0 Compatibility check up to version 6.4 2.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.3). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.3 Generate Child Theme <= 2.0 - Cross-Site Request Forgery via process_create_form() ↗
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 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 1 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
2 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Create child themes of any WordPress themes effortlessly with Generate Child Theme."
- ! 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 843 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "custom theme", "design" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-02 8K+ → 9K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-30 9K+ → 8K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-29 8K+ → 9K+ up after 448 days in tier
- 2025-02-05 7K+ → 8K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-02-04 8K+ → 7K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-02-03 7K+ → 8K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-02-01 8K+ → 7K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-01-31 7K+ → 8K+ up after 9 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).
-
WP Child Theme Generator 20K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Quick Child Theme Generator 800+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D -
Child Theme Configurator 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags C - C Child Theme Creator by Orbisius 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags C
- C Childify Me 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Child Theme Check 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Generate Child Theme into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/generate-child-theme" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Generate Child Theme — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Generate Child Theme: 9K+ active installs, 4.3★ (15 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/generate-child-theme
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