Read Meter – Reading Time & Progress Bar

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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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share 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.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price.

1. ★★★★★ tampopo1969

   1.6y ago

   Works out of the box !

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ ranmma

   3.5y ago

   The plugin works, but it only counts the words on the blog itself. It does not count words in custom blocks and custom field text

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ steveoh88

   3.7y ago

   I really like the progress bar. This plugin is simple, which is good. No matter what, the read time is only 1 minute. I thought of reaching out to support, but then I saw that several people already have and the dev doesn’t seem to have fixed the issue. Could be a great plugin, if the main feature worked. I would also be cool if it had the option to display word count.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ Jmarc

   4.4y ago

   Perfect for purpose. I just added a bit a margin below to separate it better from the start of the text and presto! It just works. Thanks!

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ imeco

   4.5y ago

   Excellent little plugin. The features make it usable for most websites. The only thing I did not figure out yet is how to dynamically translate the text ‘Reading Time .. mins’ while using TranslatePress. @brainstorm Force: Thanks for making this plugin available.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ aethronos

   4.5y ago

   Simple, practical and useful! Good job with this plugin and thank you.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Dutchintouch

   5.0y ago

   Nice find. I especially like the customizable progress bar. The reading time is correct.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ Abu Zar Mishwani

   5.6y ago

   This plugin is just awesome. Worked fine.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 1.0.11 Fix: Updated Readme file. Fix: Updated CSS selector to correctly apply styles to the read meter text. 1.0.11
2. — Version 1.0.10 Fix: Improved input handling by updating to a safer and more modern sanitization method. 1.0.10
3. — Version 1.0.9 Feature: Added the ID attribute to the [read_meter] shortcode eg: [read_meter id="47"] to show reading time of that particular post/page irrespective of where the shortcode is added. Fix: Reading time using shortcode [re 1.0.9
4. — Version 1.0.8 Fix: Page Content Wrap Marker used for progress bar was causing styling issues with non block based themes. Fix: Only added the marker needed for progress bar on the post types selected. 1.0.8
5. — Version 1.0.7 Fix: Theme Layout Styles conflict with the Marker div added as a wrapper to the_content. 1.0.7
6. — Version 1.0.6 Fix: Hardened the security. 1.0.6

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.1

Growth timeline

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

1. 2022-10-21 9K+ → 10K+ 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).

• R Reading Progress Tracker — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags C
• Reading progressbar 6K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
• WP Reading Progress 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
• Catch Scroll Progress Bar 1K+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag B
• B BSPB ProgressBar by pierre gagliardi 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag D
• P Post Reading Progress 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D

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Read Meter – Reading Time & Progress Bar: 10K+ active installs, 4.5★ (19 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/read-meter