Less PHP Compiler
by Ari Stathopoulos · Uncategorized
Also makes 6 other plugins · 3.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Includes the less.php preprocessor so that it may be used by other plugins or themes.
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
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “preprocessor”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
45 health vs 58 average across 25,739 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.8%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 52.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.1.42, 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 3260 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.1.42; the current branch is 6.8
4.5★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3260 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.
42
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 26d
25%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 26d
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| preprocessor your tag | #13 | #11 | 0 |
| compiler your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| less your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
4 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 3 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
- One page off on “preprocessor”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “compiler” and “less” 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 316 · 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
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
10.5y ago
latest release · v2.0.1 · 23 Apr 2016
8
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 “3K+”. 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 8 Jul 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ beatR11.6y ago
Works great! and contrary to some comments i saw that this less compiler is somewhat slow, it compiles the whole bootstrap chain within a couple seconds. with caching functionality built in, this a non-issue.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eplanet12.6y ago
Not enough options, if a value is empty, it leaves properties with empty values, example: font-style: ;
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dōvy Paukstys12.7y ago
Works as it should. A great plugin by great devs. 😉
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ari Stathopoulos12.8y ago
Doesn’t do anything on its own, but is required by my theme. 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.0.1 PHP 5.2 support: Replaced __DIR__ with dirname(__FILE__) 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0.0 Bugfixes 2.0.0
- — Version 1.9.0 Included a new Pre_Processors_Compiler class (pending documentation) 1.9.0
- — Version 1.8.0 Included the Sass Compiler Updated the Less compiler class 1.8.0
- — Version 1.7.0 Compilation compatible with LESS 1.7 Fix sourcemap generation when parser caching used Additional less.inc.php functionality Assetic compatibility Fix order of classes in combined file 1.7.0
- — Version 1.6.3 Added fixes and updates from less.js 1.6.3 Performance enhancements Improved Windows compatibility Additional lessc.inc.php functionality for users transitioning from leafo/lessphp 1.6.3
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 30 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 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 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 364 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "compiler" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-08-02 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-01 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-31 4K+ → 3K+ down after 377 days in tier
- 2024-07-19 5K+ → 4K+ down after 308 days in tier
- 2023-09-15 6K+ → 5K+ down after 223 days in tier
- 2023-02-04 7K+ → 6K+ down after 123 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 8K+ → 7K+ down after 326 days in tier
- 2021-11-12 9K+ → 8K+ down after 211 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).
-
LESS Compiler 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
WP Compiler 900+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D - L Lenix scss compiler 700+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
- L Lessify WordPress 300+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A
- S Seemore 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
-
Easy Custom Code (LESS/CSS/JS) – Live editing 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Less PHP Compiler into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/lessphp" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Less PHP Compiler — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Less PHP Compiler: 3K+ active installs, 4.5★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/lessphp
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