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MaxButtons – Create buttons

by maxfoundry · Social

Also makes 4 other plugins · 102K+ installs across the portfolio →

Try it live ↗ wp.org ↗

Maxbuttons is the best and easiest button plugin for WordPress. Within minutes you can create beautiful buttons, share buttons and social icons.

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 91/100

no flags

Active installs

70K+

≈75K estimated

Momentum

+8%

downloads vs prior 30d

Biggest opportunity: Swap “share button” for “twitter button”. “share button” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “twitter button” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.

See the detail → Get the free audit
How scoring works →
91 Health · A
Maintenance 100/100
Rating quality 97/100
Support 70/100
Security 90/100

91 health vs 58 average across 1,834 Social plugins

70K+

Active installs

≈75K estimated

5.2M

Total downloads

since 2011 · 1.3% still active

4.9/5

Rating

1,093 reviews

+8%

6.6K

Downloads · 30d

category median +5%

Install conversion

How it's measured →

1.3%

of downloads still active

At least 70K of 5.2M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Social plugin keeps 0.5%, across 1,276 plugins.

Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Social 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.

Ratings · 1093 reviews

Read on wp.org ↗
5★
1017 4★
47 3★
9 2★
5 1★
15

Details

Version
9.8.6
Last updated
1mo ago
Added
2011-08-16 · 15 yrs old
Requires WP
5.0
Tested up to
7.1.4
Requires PHP
7.0
Changelog ↗Support forum ↗Reviews ↗Advanced stats ↗

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.

99 / 100

Excellent listing optimization

Well tuned across the board

Update recency 100/100

Updated 31 days ago

WP compatibility 100/100

Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer

Rating quality 97/100

4.9★ over 1,093 reviews, smoothed to 4.87★

Listing tuning 100/100

5 of 5 tags set · short description in place

Support resolution 100/100

1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months

Daily downloads

Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive

+8% vs prior 30d
24531 Oct 2026

30-day downloads

Rolling 30-day volume · peak 83.9K · peaks are release surges

6.5K31 Oct 2026

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

MaxButtons · #600youSocial Share Icons & · #1666Super Web Share · #4635Cresta Social Share · #4918

Rating trend

Star average over time · dips mark rough releases

4.931 Oct 2026

Health trend

Composite health score, snapshotted daily

9131 Oct 2026

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.

9331 Oct 2026

Release cadence

Occasionally updated
from wp.org release tags

How 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

4mo ago

latest release · v9.8.6 · 26 Jun 2026

99

tagged releases on record

Recent releases

9.8.6 · 26 Jun 20269.8.5 · 15 Sep 20259.8.4 · 23 Apr 20259.8.2 · 2 Mar 20259.8.1 · 27 Nov 20249.8.0 · 23 Aug 20249.7.8 · 8 Apr 20249.7.7 · 19 Jan 20249.7.6 · 19 Jan 20249.7.4 · 12 Oct 20239.7.3 · 12 Oct 20239.7.2 · 11 Oct 20239.7.1 · 11 Oct 20239.7 · 11 Oct 2023

What its installed base runs

via wordpress.org

Share 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.

v9.8 75%
v9.7 5.6%
Older / other versions 19%

Estimated active installs

The public count shows “70K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.

tracked estimate
70K–80K ≈75K

Crossed into this band 7 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 2021

70K31 Oct 2026

Recent reviews

All reviews on wp.org ↗
  1. ★★★★★ mjoe67886
    2.2y ago

    This is the best implementation of adding buttons that I could imagine. Say I had to figure out was to center the buttons it would be wise to create a 3 column on the page and add them to the middle column. Thank you very much for this plugin!!

    Read on wp.org ↗
  2. ★★★★★ 01labs
    2.3y ago

    I’d say my html skill level is around a 4. I’m more of a front end guy. So adding buttons in the back end had me cringing. I was trying to add a button in an accordion content window so I couldn’t drag/drop a button in there. MaxButtons gave me the control to customize my button and drop in a shortcode to the page. Super stoked that I found this plugin!

    Read on wp.org ↗
  3. ★★★★★ Scribelle
    4.8y ago

    Thank you for this very useful “little” plugin. Not only it works well, but it’s still working fine under WordPress 5.9 too!

    Read on wp.org ↗
  4. ★★★★★ NG Baze
    4.9y ago

    I love this plugin please can you add a lazy download feature in free version with count like 10 seconds before user can download ?

    Read on wp.org ↗
  5. ★★★★★ orion973
    5.3y ago

    It’s perfect

    Read on wp.org ↗
  6. ★★★★★ manhal
    5.5y ago

    Helps a lot in customization make big change in easy way and short time This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by manhal.

    Read on wp.org ↗
  7. ★★★★★ alfordwh
    5.9y ago

    Helped me fix some shortcomings of other button designs. It’s very easy to use once you do a couple of designs and get the hang of it.

    Read on wp.org ↗
  8. ★★★★★ nananona
    6.0y ago

    Great! My site couldn’t work without it. The step by step instructions helped tremendously. Easy to use.

    Read on wp.org ↗

Latest updates

via wp.org changelog

Recent releases and news for this plugin

  1. — Version 9.8.6 Maintenance release Fix – Missing escape on view parameter in maxbutton list Compatible and tested with latest WordPress (7.0) and PHP (8.3) 9.8.6
  2. — Version 9.8.5 Fix for page check in admin footer Readme updates 9.8.5
  3. — Version 9.8.4 Another fix preventing javascript in URL . 9.8.4
  4. — Version 9.8.3 Regular fix preventing javascript in URL, not also via esc_url . 9.8.3
  5. — Version 9.8.2 Removed possibility to add javascript in URL links on request of WP plugin team (security issue) 9.8.2
  6. — Version 9.8.1 Minor security improvements 9.8.1

Security history

via Wordfence Intelligence

All 14 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (9.8.6). Sites still on an older version should update.

  1. Patched Medium · 6.1 MaxButtons <= 9.8.5 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via 'view' Parameter ↗
    2026-06-26 CVE-2026-13245 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.8.5 Patched in 9.8.6
  2. Patched Medium · 4.4 MaxButtons <= 9.8.3 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2025-04-17 CVE-2025-39444 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.8.3 Patched in 9.8.4
  3. Patched Medium · 4.4 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.8.0 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Button Width ↗
    2024-11-29 CVE-2024-10555 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.8.0 Patched in 9.8.1
  4. Patched Medium · 4.4 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.8.0 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Text Color ↗
    2024-11-29 CVE-2024-8968 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.8.0 Patched in 9.8.1
  5. Patched Medium · 5.3 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.7.8 - Full Path Disclosure ↗
    2024-08-23 CVE-2024-6499 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 9.7.8 Patched in 9.8.0
  6. Patched Medium · 5.5 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.7.7 - Authenticated (Editor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2024-06-22 CVE-2024-3026 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.7.7 Patched in 9.7.8
  7. Patched Medium · 6.4 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.7.6 - Authenticated(Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcode ↗
    2024-01-23 CVE-2023-7029 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.7.6 Patched in 9.7.7
  8. Patched Medium · 4.4 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.7.4 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2024-01-08 CVE-2023-6594 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.7.4 Patched in 9.7.6
  9. Patched Medium · 6.4 MaxButtons <= 9.5.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode ↗
    2023-06-23 CVE-2023-36503 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.5.3 Patched in 9.6
  10. Patched High · 8.8 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.2 - Cross-Site Request Forgery ↗
    2022-08-02 CVE-2022-36346 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 9.2 Patched in 9.3
  11. Patched Medium · 5.5 MaxButtons <= 9.2 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2022-08-02 CVE-2022-38703 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.2 Patched in 9.3
  12. Patched Medium · 6.4 WordPress Button Plugin MaxButtons <= 9.2 - Shortcode-Based Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2022-07-29 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 9.2 Patched in 9.3
  13. Patched Medium · 6.1 MaxButtons <= 6.18 - Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2017-05-16 CVE-2017-2169 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 6.18 Patched in 6.19
  14. Patched Medium · 4.3 MaxButtons < 1.26.1 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2014-09-24 CVE-2014-7181 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 1.26.1 Patched in 1.26.1

Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.

CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.

Behavioral tests

via WP Hive

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

✓ Low memory footprint
✓ Low page-speed impact
✓ Runs on latest PHP + WP
✓ No PHP errors
✓ No JS errors
✓ Activates cleanly
✓ No resource errors
✓ No external HTTP errors
✓ Optimized database use
✕ Frequently updated

Languages

via translate.wordpress.org

Translated into 129 languages, 2 at 90% or more

Dutch 100%
Dutch (Formal) 100%
Russian 89%
Dutch (Belgium) 74%
Swedish 60%
Spanish (Spain) 50%
German 49%
Japanese 26%
French (France) 25%
English (Canada) 17%
Romanian 17%
Finnish 13%
Azerbaijani 12%
English (UK) 12%
English (New Zealand) 11%
Portuguese (Portugal) 11%
Ukrainian 11%
English (Australia) 10%
French (Canada) 10%
German (Formal) 10%
Spanish (Chile) 10%
Cebuano 9%
English (South Africa) 9%
Esperanto 9%

Plus 105 more locales with partial translations.

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

6 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026

Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.

  • ! Says what it does Short description leans on hype words instead of saying what the plugin does.
  • ✓ Has a FAQ 9 questions in the FAQ.
  • ✓ FAQ asks real questions 9 of 9 read like questions a user would type.
  • ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use it", "if you want").
  • ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Elementor, Gutenberg, Beaver Builder, Contact Form 7 and 6 more.
  • ✓ Headings and lists 10 headings and 6 lists.
  • ✓ Enough to quote 6,940 characters of description.
  • ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("butotn creator", "css wordpress button", "css3 button generator" missing).

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

  1. 2026-04-11 80K+ → 70K+ down after 285 days in tier
  2. 2025-06-30 90K+ → 80K+ down after 266 days in tier
  3. 2024-10-07 100K+ → 90K+ down after 2547 days in tier
  4. 2017-10-17 90K+ → 100K+ up after 103 days in tier
  5. 2017-07-06 80K+ → 90K+ up after 90 days in tier
  6. 2017-04-07 70K+ → 80K+ up after 282 days in tier
  7. 2016-06-29 60K+ → 70K+ up after 149 days in tier
  8. 2016-02-01 50K+ → 60K+ up after 171 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).

Embed this report card

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Preview card ↗

MaxButtons – Create buttons: 70K+ active installs, 4.9★ (1,093 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/maxbuttons

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