Latest Posts
by ShapedPlugin LLC · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 20 other plugins · 293.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Latest posts widget to display recent posts from category.
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Health
B 79/100
Few reviews
Active installs
4K+
≈4.9K estimated
Momentum
+9%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “post thumbnails” and “posts widget” 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.
79 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.3%
of downloads still active
At least 4K of 92.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,188 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.
This plugin shipped 1 release 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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 212 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.16★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
5%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| latest posts your tag | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| latest posts widget | #1 | #4 | 0 |
| latest | #3 | #13 | 0 |
| latest category posts your tag | #3 | #10 | down 2 |
| latest post | #3 | #15 | 0 |
| latest posts with thumbnails | #2 | #10 | 0 |
| recent posts | #7 | #15 | down 2 |
| latest post widget | #4 | #16 | 0 |
| category posts your tag | #18 | #22 | down 2 |
| recent posts sidebar | #7 | #18 | 0 |
| latest news widget | #8 | #20 | down 2 |
| most recent posts | #11 | #20 | 0 |
| recent posts widget | #18 | #20 | 0 |
| recent post | #24 | #20 | down 3 |
| posts by category | #20 | #22 | down 1 |
| category based posts | #22 | #23 | 0 |
| posts category | #24 | #22 | down 1 |
| post thumbnails your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| posts widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
24 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 17 listed. 7 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “post thumbnails” and “posts widget” 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.
- Already on top for “latest”. #3 without listing it. A tag would change little there; your slots are better spent on a search you don't yet win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.4K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
7mo ago
latest release · v1.4.5 · 2 Apr 2026
8
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 99% 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 “4K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 43 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 5K.
Install history since 10 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Frank4.1y ago
A nice, easy to use plugin. I just wish the date/time stamp was optional
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manuwp094.9y ago
Good plugin, once installed it is ready to use, without the need for configuration.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jtaira9.6y ago
I’m using WPML and previous version was not support. However 2 days after I requested it, they decided to update. And now I can use it with WPML. It was great support.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sisujon10.7y ago
I have try give my best for this plugin! This plugin is really awesome for recent widget post. Just got this plugin today and am so happy that I did! It’s very easy to use, and support has been absolutely fabulous with getting back to me on some custom work I need to do. Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sciencedada11.0y ago
The authors made a solid plugin. The output in the news area should not be div and heading elements. It should be an unordered list to be accessible, or at least allow for selection of content type (instead of hard coded).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kelter11.3y ago
Version 1.1 corrects minor typo and adds the new date & time css classes for easy styling. Works great and is a super simple way to add a great looking Latest Posts with thumbnail images.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Md Khalil Uddin11.6y ago
I was really searching same plugin. It is awesome WP free Plugin for showing latest post of blog. Thanks #shapedtheme. Caryy on…. 😀
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.4.5 Tested: WordPress 6.9.4 compatibility. 1.4.5
- — Version 1.4.4 Tested: WordPress 6.4.2 compatibility. 1.4.4
- — Version 1.4.3 New: A hook ‘sp_lpw_date_format’ to modify the date format of posts. Fix: The undefined variable warnings. Tested: WordPress 6.2 compatibility. 1.4.3
- — Version 1.4.2 Tested: WordPress 6.0 compatibility. 1.4.2
- — Version 1.4.1 Tested: WordPress 5.7 compatibility. 1.4.1
- — Version 1.4 Fixed deprecated constructor 1.4
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Latest posts widget to display recent posts from category."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("perfect for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 482 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("category posts", "latest category posts", "post thumbnails" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-18 5K+ → 4K+ down after 241 days in tier
- 2026-01-20 6K+ → 5K+ down after 216 days in tier
- 2025-06-18 7K+ → 6K+ down after 192 days in tier
- 2024-12-08 8K+ → 7K+ down after 328 days in tier
- 2024-01-15 7K+ → 8K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-01-14 8K+ → 7K+ down after 28 days in tier
- 2023-12-17 7K+ → 8K+ up after 156 days in tier
- 2023-07-14 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1930 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).
-
WPCT Drag & Drop Recent Posts — installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
Latest Posts — installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Category Posts Block 40K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Simple Category Posts 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
Regenerate Thumbnails 1M+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
Quick Featured Images 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Latest Posts into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/latest-posts" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Latest Posts — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Latest Posts: 4K+ active installs, 4.6★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/latest-posts
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