Gravity Forms – Placeholders add-on
by neojp · Forms
Also makes 1 other plugin · 2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Adds HTML5 placeholder support to Gravity Forms' fields with a Javascript fallback. Javascript & jQuery are required.
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 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “forms”, “gravity” and “gravityforms” 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.
50 health vs 65 average across 2,509 Forms plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.8%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 53K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Forms plugin keeps 1.3%, 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.4.2, 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 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.4.2; the current branch is 6.8
4.9★ over 24 reviews, smoothed to 4.36★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| forms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravity your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravityforms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| html5 your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| placeholders your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches 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 “gravityforms” 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 1.2K · 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
14.3y ago
latest release · v1.2.1 · 2 Jul 2012
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 19 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dardotinfo12.0y ago
Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ miamialbert12.4y ago
Works as advertised
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sahil12.4y ago
This is a very small plugin and it does the job well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dibakar Jana12.4y ago
I was really frustrated for this. But finally this plugin saves my day!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ logistic41412.5y ago
Excellent plugin, very well made. Would be great to add drop down menu support as William Wilkerson tried to do in his rip-off version. If you append the extra option with js rather than prepending it as he did, it will even work on most browsers. 😉 Thanks for a great plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Danielle12.6y ago
Exactly what I needed, works great.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wordpresscare12.6y ago
Thank your for great plugin. Works each time right our of the box. Simply add class to element and all is done on the fly. Great work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Matt Cromwell12.6y ago
Thanks for making something simple, intuitive and reliable right out of the box!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.1 Fix IE7 member not found error 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2 Fix the enqueuing urls of Javascript files when using a Symlink as the plugins directory 1.2
- — Version 1.1.1 Rename variable url to jquery_placeholder_url 1.1.1
- — Version 1.1 Rename gf.placeholders.js.php to gf.placeholders.js Append a jquery.placeholder.js url as a js variable on the tag instead of using php on gf.placeholders.js.php – improves performance by using static files Always reques 1.1
- — Version 1.0 Initial version. 1.0
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Adds HTML5 placeholder support to Gravity Forms' fields with a Javascript fallback. Javascript & jQuery are..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gravity Forms.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 537 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "GravityForms" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-21 3K+ → 2K+ down after 438 days in tier
- 2024-12-10 4K+ → 3K+ down after 88 days in tier
- 2024-09-13 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-09-12 4K+ → 5K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-09-11 5K+ → 4K+ down after 339 days in tier
- 2023-10-08 6K+ → 5K+ down after 197 days in tier
- 2023-03-25 7K+ → 6K+ down after 223 days in tier
- 2022-08-14 8K+ → 7K+ down after 259 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).
-
Gravity Forms – Edit Entries 2K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A - G Gravity Forms Auto Placeholders 600+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags D
- P Popup Confirmation for Gravity Forms 300+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
- G Gravity Forms CSS Ready Class Selector 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Gravity Forms Constant Contact 3K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D -
G-Forms hCaptcha 3K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Gravity Forms – Placeholders add-on into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/gravity-forms-placeholders" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Gravity Forms – Placeholders add-on — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Gravity Forms – Placeholders add-on: 2K+ active installs, 4.9★ (24 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/gravity-forms-placeholders
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