Just Writing
by Greg Ross · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 37 other plugins · 6.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Adds buttons and features to the Distraction Free Writing Mode for all kinds of extra functions.
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 61/100
Stale
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “distraction free writing” and “writing” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 and #24 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 1 listed these are the slots worth spending.
61 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 25.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,187 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 651 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 4.30★ and held back under 25 reviews
1 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 651 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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
13%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin posts writing dfw your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| dfw | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| writing dfw | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| distraction free writing | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| writing | #24 | #20 | 0 |
19 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 14 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “distraction free writing” and “writing” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4 and #24 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 1 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 282 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
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
1.8y ago
latest release · v4.0 · 18 Jan 2025
40
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 64% 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 “200+”. 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 20 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ safeinsanity9.2y ago
This is a super cool plugin! I wish the default WordPress editor looked and worked like this plugin makes it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dmersonhess9.6y ago
This fundamentally changes the writing experience in WordPress for the better. If you use WriteRoom/PyRoom/Scrivener/Highland desktop apps, then you know how powerful distraction-free writing can be. This is the first time I’ve ever felt compelled to review a WP plugin. Greg — thank you for all of your hard work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BArS10.7y ago
Thanks, it is working and do everything I need.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ boskpro11.1y ago
i was looking for it . even was tired to change stuffs manually. just tested it . works flawlessly on
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ trixee12.0y ago
Looks like I might actually use DFWM now!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ luite12.3y ago
without this plugin the ‘distraction free writing’ has the distraction that you need to turn it off before applying headers etc. Now.. it just works 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ master41216012.4y ago
Very nice
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ salubritas12.4y ago
Getting the screen clutter-free makes a big difference to me, but the standard DFWM has so little functionality I had to constantly drop back out of it. Just Writing has just about everything I need (with a little configuration effort) so I seldom have to leave DFWM. Quick save and preview without reloading the page is great too.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 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
5 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 "Adds buttons and features to the Distraction Free Writing Mode for all kinds of extra functions."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 9 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 9 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 5 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,886 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 0 of 1 tags appear in the text ("admin posts writing DFW" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-26 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-25 200+ → 300+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-23 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-22 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-21 300+ → 200+ down after 503 days in tier
- 2024-12-04 400+ → 300+ down after 423 days in tier
- 2023-10-08 500+ → 400+ down after 289 days in tier
- 2022-12-23 600+ → 500+ down after 4 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).
-
Hostinger Tools 3M+ installs · 3.6★ B -
Loginizer 1M+ installs · 4.8★ A -
Maintenance 1M+ installs · 4.4★ A -
Redux Framework 900K+ installs · 4.4★ A -
Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode 600K+ installs · 4.9★ A -
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon and Landing Page Builder 400K+ installs · 4.3★ A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Just Writing into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/just-writing" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Just Writing — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Just Writing: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/just-writing
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