Modular Custom CSS
by Nick Halsey · Uncategorized
Also makes 23 other plugins · 20.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
WordPress core provides custom CSS functionality in the customizer that's specific to the current theme; you can switch themes freely with each t …
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 85/100
Few reviews
Active installs
400+
≈450 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: Add “switch theme” to your wp.org tags. You rank #24 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
85 health vs 58 average across 25,756 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.1%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 19.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,774 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.
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 106 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 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.
42
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
24%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| modular | #3 | #10 | 0 |
| custom css your tag | #7 | #19 | up 1 |
| custom design your tag | #16 | #22 | 0 |
| css your tag | #20 | #23 | down 1 |
| css customizer | #13 | #18 | 0 |
| switch theme | #24 | #21 | 0 |
| site css | #16 | #23 | up 1 |
| wordpress custom css | #17 | #24 | 0 |
| post custom css | #18 | #24 | down 2 |
| wp custom css | #24 | #24 | down 1 |
| post css | #24 | #24 | 0 |
| customizer your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
21 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 11 listed. 10 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
- Add “switch theme” to your wp.org tags. You rank #24 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed it's a slot worth spending.
- One page off on “custom design”. #16 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 383 · 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
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
4mo ago
latest release · v2.2 · 19 Jul 2026
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
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 23 Jun 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ estr9.9y ago
Thanks for this! It seems Modular Custom CSS is the most modern plugin that takes advantage of WP 4.7+ features.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Curtis10.5y ago
Thank you for your plugin development. Preview changes in customizer. So good.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ N-genhocas11.6y ago
5* plugin! Did exactly what i was looking for and what it describes it does! Simple and effective!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tjb1mind11.9y ago
I have never bothered to review any plugin before, but I frickin love this one, Im not a css expert so its normally a big hassle for me to make changes. I love the way you can use this in the customizer, live preview so you can see the changes straight away, Thanks so much for this, saving me so much time.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Li-An11.9y ago
Very good idea if you have to manage same CSS for different themes.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Matt Cromwell12.0y ago
Just tested this on a premium theme that I didn’t want to make a child theme for and it’s REALLY handy. The style changes in the Customizer are instantaneous. Also really well thought-out to have the theme-agnostic styles separated out from theme-specific. Thanks for the contribution!
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.
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 2 Nov 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 Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 785 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "Custom Design" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-01 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-31 400+ → 500+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-30 500+ → 400+ down after 325 days in tier
- 2025-05-09 600+ → 500+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-05-04 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-03 600+ → 500+ down after 14 days in tier
- 2025-04-19 500+ → 600+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-04-17 600+ → 500+ down after 5 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).
-
Multisite Custom CSS 100+ installs · 4.3★ · 4 shared tags A - T TJ Custom CSS 8K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D
- C Customizer Custom CSS 400+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C
-
Live Custom CSS JS Code Editor 300+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D -
Simple Custom CSS Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags C -
Simple CSS 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Modular Custom CSS into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/modular-custom-css" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Modular Custom CSS — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Modular Custom CSS: 400+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/modular-custom-css
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