Language Fallback
by Bernhard Kau · Multilingual
Also makes 10 other plugins · 6.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Set a language as a fallback for the chosen language (e.g. "Deutsch" as a fallback for "Deutsch (Sie)")
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 89/100
no flags
Active installs
5K+
≈5.5K estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “translation” for “languages”. “translation” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “languages” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
89 health vs 67 average across 495 Multilingual plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →8.5%
of downloads still active
At least 5K of 58.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Multilingual plugin keeps 0.8%, across 280 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Multilingual 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 48 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 23 reviews, smoothed to 4.32★ 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.
36
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
10%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| language fallback | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| fallback your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| deutsch | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| language your tag | #4 | #8 | 0 |
| chosen | #5 | #7 | 0 |
| locale your tag | #7 | #7 | up 1 |
| languages | #11 | #16 | 0 |
| localization your tag | #23 | #22 | down 4 |
| wordpress language plugin | #18 | #23 | 0 |
| translation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
10 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 9 listed. 1 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 “translation” for “languages”. “translation” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “languages” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 4.4K · 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
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
1.0y ago
latest release · v2.1.1 · 27 Oct 2025
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 75% 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 “5K+”. 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 14 Aug 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Oliver Heinrich3.6y ago
Als Nutzer des WordPress Plugins “Language-Fallback” bin ich äußerst zufrieden mit der hervorragenden Unterstützung für mehrsprachige Websites. Die Funktion des Plugins, automatisch die Sprache einer Seite zu erkennen und eine entsprechende Fallback Sprache anzuzeigen, funktioniert einwandfrei und trägt dazu bei, dass Besucher aus verschiedenen Sprachregionen eine bessere Benutzererfahrung haben. Besonders beeindruckend finde ich, wie einfach das Plugin zu installieren und zu konfigurieren ist. Ich schätze auch die reibungslose Integration mit anderen WordPress-Plugins und -Themes. Es gab keinerlei Konflikte oder Probleme bei der Verwendung von Language-Fallback in Verbindung mit anderen Erweiterungen. Insgesamt kann ich das WordPress-Plugin Language-Fallback jedem empfehlen, der eine mehrsprachige Website betreibt oder betreiben möchte. This topic was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Oliver Heinrich.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ protostern5.5y ago
Wer bei einer deutschen (Firmen)Seite seine Besucher nicht versehentlich mit ‘Du’ anreden will, für den ist dieses Plugin ein Muss. Danke Bernhard!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Matt Jaworski6.6y ago
Great tool for falling back to Spanish (Spain) from partially (or not at all) translated Spanish versions like Mexico, Colombia etc.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Andrea7.7y ago
Best solution for me. Using “German_formal” and “German”…this plugin simply helps me out of missing translations.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kastoberlin8.1y ago
I didn’t realize that when wordpress is set to an altertative language variant such as german_formal that there is no fallback to german if a plugin does not have a complete translation to this variant. The functionality of this plugin should definitelty be included in WP core. Great work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Felipe Romero8.4y ago
Imprescindible en instalaciones para variedades del idioma Español, como Español de México.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zielniok9.2y ago
Es hört sich vielleicht komisch an, aber dieses Plugin hätte 6 Sterne verdient, dafür, dass es genau das macht, was es soll und nicht mehr oder weniger – wie gefühlte 99% der anderen Plugins. 👏🏽👏👏🏾👏🏻👏🏼👏🏿 Herzlichen Dank an Bernhard
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dezemberundjuli9.6y ago
Macht was es muss.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.1.1 Fix wrong version number in PHP file and readme Time invested for this release: 10min 2.1.1
- — Version 2.1.0 Add sanitize_callback for setting Increment Tested up to Add link to Patchstack in readme Time invested for this release: 30min 2.1.0
- — Version 2.0.1 Fix some minor Plugin Check issues Increment Tested up to Time invested for this release: 20min 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0.0 Implement a solution for “_load_textdomain_just_in_time” function not loading the fallback “.mo” files Time invested for this release: 150min 2.0.0
- — Version 1.0.5 Increment Tested up to Time invested for this release: 10min 1.0.5
- — Version 1.0.4 Remove the languages folder and prepare the plugin for automated deployments Time invested for this release: 10min 1.0.4
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 18 languages, 11 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
3 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 614 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "locale", "localization" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-20 6K+ → 5K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-19 5K+ → 6K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-18 6K+ → 5K+ down after 1071 days in tier
- 2023-05-13 7K+ → 6K+ down after 109 days in tier
- 2023-01-24 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-01-23 7K+ → 6K+ down after 111 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 6K+ → 7K+ up after 782 days in tier
- 2020-08-13 5K+ → 6K+ up after 247 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).
-
Polylang 900K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags B -
Bogo 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A - A Admin Locale 6K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Preferred Languages 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
GPTranslate – Multilingual AI Translation Agent for WordPress: Translate Your Site with AI 500+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Translation connectors 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Language Fallback into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/language-fallback" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Language Fallback — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Language Fallback: 5K+ active installs, 4.8★ (23 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/language-fallback
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.