Gravity Forms Auto Placeholders
by Josh Davis · Forms
Also makes 5 other plugins · 770+ installs across the portfolio →
Automatically converts all Gravity Form labels into HTML5 placeholders. Includes Modernizr to add placeholder support to Internet Explorer.
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 42/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈680 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “forms”, “gravity” and “gravity forms” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
42 health vs 65 average across 2,509 Forms plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.6%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 16.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Forms plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,668 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Forms 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.0.38, well behind 6.8.
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 4392 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.0.38; the current branch is 6.8
3.0★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.00★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4392 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| modernizr | #24 | #22 | 0 |
| forms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravity your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravity forms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| placeholder your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| placeholders your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “forms”, “gravity” and “gravity forms” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 176 · 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
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
12.0y ago
latest release · v1.2 · 22 Oct 2014
1
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 98% 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 2 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ nvg12.1y ago
This plugin is incompatible with Avada 3.5 and 3.6. Avada had a wide audience. This plugin disables the mobile menu as well as the Revolution slider.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jonathon Harris12.9y ago
Thanks for sharing – noticed that form validation throws a javascript conflict. Would be great if the CSS was exposed to be able to style the labels.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gary Eckstein13.1y ago
Used the Plugin on numerous Sites and love it. There are some issues with doubling up of labels where Themes are badly coded (note: from what I’ve seen this only happens when the Theme is badly coded i.e. not a Plugin issue).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous13.4y ago
Doesn’t work on Dropdowns
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tech4Eleven13.8y ago
latest WP, latest plugin version, latest GF version. looks to do exactly what I want! now I dont have to custom code it. this is a feature that should be included in Gforms. I mean seriously! works in IE9 so far too. thanks a mil. one thing, any way to hide the * (required symbol in the field?
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Automatically converts all Gravity Form labels into HTML5 placeholders. Includes Modernizr to add placehold..."
- ! 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 139 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "forms", "gravity forms" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-09 700+ → 600+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-08 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-07 700+ → 600+ down after 193 days in tier
- 2026-01-26 800+ → 700+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-25 700+ → 800+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-24 800+ → 700+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-01-21 700+ → 800+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2026-01-09 800+ → 700+ down after 1 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).
- G Gravity Forms CSS Ready Class Selector 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Gravity Forms Constant Contact 3K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D - G Gravity Forms – Placeholders add-on 2K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Block IPs for Gravity Forms 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Gravity Forms Directory 500+ installs · 3.4★ · 3 shared tags D - G Gravity Forms Multi Currency 400+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Gravity Forms Auto Placeholders into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/gravity-forms-auto-placeholders" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Gravity Forms Auto Placeholders — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Gravity Forms Auto Placeholders: 600+ active installs, 3.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/gravity-forms-auto-placeholders
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