Podlove Web Player
by gerritvanaaken · Uncategorized
A fast, flexible and responsive podcast player with chapters, transcripts and customizable 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
B 84/100
no flags
Active installs
4K+
≈4.5K estimated
Momentum
+116%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “chapters”, “transcripts” and “episode” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5, #7 and #8 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 2 listed these are the slots worth spending.
84 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 4K of 203.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 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 2 releases 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 28 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
3.7★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 4.01★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
12%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| web player | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| podlove | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| powerpress | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| chapters | #5 | #11 | 0 |
| podcast player | #6 | #10 | up 7 |
| transcripts | #7 | #11 | down 2 |
| podcasting your tag | #8 | #11 | up 6 |
| episode | #8 | #10 | up 14 |
| player | #15 | #20 | 0 |
| mobile web | #11 | #19 | 0 |
| subtitle | #12 | #18 | up 11 |
| subtitles | #12 | #17 | down 1 |
| web fonts | #14 | #19 | 0 |
| web font | #17 | #18 | 0 |
| podcast | #24 | #19 | 0 |
| players | #16 | #21 | 0 |
| config | #17 | #18 | up 1 |
| html5 audio player | #18 | #21 | up 1 |
| custom player | #12 | #18 | 0 |
| podcasts | #23 | #18 | down 2 |
| audio your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
79 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 53 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 “chapters”, “transcripts” and “episode” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5, #7 and #8 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 2 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 9.3K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
2
releases in the last 12 months
28d ago
latest release · v5.10.0 · 3 Oct 2026
90
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 “4K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 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 12 Mar 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Reed Sutton2.4y ago
Best podcast player for wordpress out there. I’ve tried them all!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ randals4.7y ago
This is a fantastic plug-in and definitely underrated. As far as free players go, nothing is as flexible and customizable as this and I’ve tried them all. There IS a learning curve to get it to do what you like. I imagine that is where some of the negative reviews stem from. However, with the customization system in the plug-in’s settings and a little extra CSS you can essentially strip each element down and arrange it how you like. I’ve used this to create fully custom players on a podcast network website (dealing with multiple podcast series) with dynamically loaded episodes. It took some trial and error BUT it works, I couldn’t achieve the same with other players, and it’s free. 5 stars.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sven Wagener5.1y ago
In combination wit the Podcast Publisher this is the most underused and underrated plugin for podcast publishing. Thanks for your work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sven de Vries5.5y ago
166 / 5000 Übersetzungsergebnisse I’ve been using the player for many years. The project is open source and is maintained very lovingly by only a few people. I am thoroughly satisfied.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ michaellow5.9y ago
Next episode plays automatically all the time. No way to stop it. No community, no support. If it breaks, you are alone.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tarak Nath Gorai6.5y ago
The look and feel is smooth… responsive.. themeing .. and also the transcript work better than he version 4
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ benhartwich6.5y ago
The web player plugin hasn´t been updated for a while, but there are very great features developed now. Thanks for your work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dorf8.6y ago
Works great, easy to use. I was worried because of the 1 star ratings. It appears those are pretty old, 4-5 years. Those ratings should age out. It works in Firefox. It is exactly what I was looking for.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 5.9.2 Improve duration parsing security 5.9.2
- — Version 5.9.1 Update software dependencies 5.9.1
- — Version 5.9.0 Update to Podlove Web Player 5.13.0 Verify WordPress 6.7 compatability 5.9.0
- — Version 5.7.5 Improve PHP 8 compatability Improve compatability with WordPress 6 5.7.5
- — Version 5.7.4 Fix security vulnerability 5.7.4
- — Version 5.7.3 Fix security vulnerability 5.7.3
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (5.10.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Podlove Web Player <= 5.7.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-03-25 CVE-2024-29788 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 5.7.1 Patched in 5.7.3
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 HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 6 languages, 3 at 90% or more
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 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 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("made for"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, Block editor.
- ✓ Headings and lists 8 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,451 characters of description.
- ✓ 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
- 2025-11-12 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-11-11 4K+ → 5K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-11-10 5K+ → 4K+ down after 680 days in tier
- 2023-12-31 6K+ → 5K+ down after 556 days in tier
- 2022-06-23 5K+ → 6K+ up after 310 days in tier
- 2021-08-17 4K+ → 5K+ up after 373 days in tier
- 2020-08-09 3K+ → 4K+ up after 270 days in tier
- 2019-11-13 1K+ → 3K+ up
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).
-
Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
Buzzsprout Podcasting 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Podigee for WordPress: Podcast Episodes to Blog Posts 600+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
La Tecnologeria Podcasting players 30+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - P Podcast Searcher by Clarify 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
Presto Player 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Podlove Web Player into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/podlove-web-player" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Podlove Web Player — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Podlove Web Player: 4K+ active installs, 3.7★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/podlove-web-player
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