Legacy Jetpack Custom CSS Editor
by George Stephanis · Uncategorized
Also makes 22 other plugins · 15.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin re-adds the full page admin Custom CSS editor to Jetpack.
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
20+
≈25 estimated
Momentum
+50%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “custom css” and “jetpack” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.7%
of downloads still active
At least 20 of 3K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,785 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, well behind 7.1.
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 3609 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 2 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3609 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| custom css your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| jetpack your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “custom css” and “jetpack” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 68 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #25,400 to #28,300, alongside the other plugins at 20+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
9.9y ago
latest release · v0.9 · 16 Dec 2016
3
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 “20+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 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 28 Mar 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Graham Cluley9.7y ago
Thanks for making this. It’s bonkers that WordPress removed this capability, so I’m so pleased to see you’ve created this plugin. Like the other guy said – it’s a lifesaver.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Robert Trevellyan9.8y ago
I was utterly dismayed to see the old Jetpack CSS editor disappear in favor of a little customizer box in WP 4.7. Thank you so much for restoring the legacy editor where we can actually see what we’re working with, and where our designer can work with CSS without having to upload style.css every time they make a change. It’s a vital part of our workflow and the little box in the customizer is completely inadequate.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. 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 "This plugin re-adds the full page admin Custom CSS editor to Jetpack."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Jetpack.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 347 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-08-01 30+ → 20+ down after 349 days in tier
- 2024-08-17 40+ → 30+ down after 225 days in tier
- 2024-01-05 50+ → 40+ down after 225 days in tier
- 2023-05-25 60+ → 50+ down after 233 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 70+ → 60+ down after 244 days in tier
- 2022-02-02 80+ → 70+ down after 270 days in tier
- 2021-05-08 100+ → 80+ down
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).
-
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Simple Custom CSS Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag C -
Jetpack Protect 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Simple CSS 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag B -
WP Add Custom CSS 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag B -
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Legacy Jetpack Custom CSS Editor into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/legacy-jetpack-custom-css-editor" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Legacy Jetpack Custom CSS Editor — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Legacy Jetpack Custom CSS Editor: 20+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/legacy-jetpack-custom-css-editor
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.