Monster Widget
by Automattic · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 78 other plugins · 18.2M+ installs across the portfolio →
Provides a quick and easy method of adding all core widgets to a sidebar for testing purposes.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
700+
≈780 estimated
Momentum
+5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “debug”, “theme development” and “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.
48 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 700 of 162.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 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.
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 4.9.35, 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 3278 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 8 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3278 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| debug your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| theme development your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “debug”, “theme development” and “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.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 866 · 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.
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 “700+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 800.
Install history since 1 Aug 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mythemes9.4y ago
Good job and it is very useful for me
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ peterorpete10.7y ago
Super useful, has most of the development plugins you will need
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Brandon Hubbard11.0y ago
This is a great tool for theme testing.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ShapedTheme11.3y ago
Great Widget testing plugin 🙂 Keep up
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous12.1y ago
This plugin makes it so easy to test widget and sidebar styling in themes. It’s awesome!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ burak12.7y ago
It’s useful. When you use this plugin, you save your time.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Stefan Brechbuehl13.2y ago
Good stuff!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Stanko Metodiev13.4y ago
A really useful plugin! Especially for theme testing.
Read on wp.org ↗
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 25 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 Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("designed 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 332 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "debug" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-06 800+ → 700+ down after 55 days in tier
- 2026-06-12 900+ → 800+ down after 50 days in tier
- 2026-04-23 1K+ → 900+ down after 165 days in tier
- 2025-11-09 900+ → 1K+ up after 21 days in tier
- 2025-10-19 1K+ → 900+ down after 1114 days in tier
- 2022-10-01 2K+ → 1K+ down after 730 days in tier
- 2020-10-01 3K+ → 2K+ down after 155 days in tier
- 2020-04-29 4K+ → 3K+ down after 451 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).
-
Dashboard Widgets Suite 4K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Crontrol 300K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag B -
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Query Monitor 200K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Monster Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/monster-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Monster Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Monster Widget: 700+ active installs, 5.0★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/monster-widget
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