Private by Default
by anttti · Uncategorized
When creating new posts or pages (of regular WordPress types or custom post types), this plugin makes them private by default.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
50+
≈56 estimated
Momentum
-31%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “custom”, “default” and “page” 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.
47 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 50 of 3.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 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 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.3.34, 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 4072 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.3.34; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4072 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| custom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| default your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| page your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| private your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “custom”, “default” and “page” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 144 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #20,100 to #21,200, alongside the other plugins at 50+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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 “50+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 64% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ xjamesb8.4y ago
Excellent plug-in, thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kernellabs9.2y ago
Still working as expected in 4.8.1
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ one1910.0y ago
No config necessary
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mrsburnside10.7y ago
I went looking for a plugin that would allow me to post my private blog posts without fear of accidentally leaving anything out for public consumption. I’m very appreciative that I found it, and it works the way I wanted it to.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "When creating new posts or pages (of regular WordPress types or custom post types), this plugin makes them..."
- ! 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 Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Twitter.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 425 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-20 60+ → 50+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2026-06-13 50+ → 60+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-06-11 60+ → 50+ down after 168 days in tier
- 2025-12-25 50+ → 60+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2025-12-21 60+ → 50+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-12-19 50+ → 60+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-18 60+ → 50+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-17 50+ → 60+ up after 15 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).
-
Post Type Switcher 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Reveal IDs 40K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - W WP Admin UI Customize 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Duplicate PP 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Search and Replace 9K+ installs · 3.4★ · 2 shared tags B - A Attachments 8K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Private by Default into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/private-by-default" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Private by Default — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Private by Default: 50+ active installs, 5.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/private-by-default
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