Role Based Help Notes
by Justin Fletcher · Login & Users
Also makes 3 other plugins · 230+ installs across the portfolio →
Help Notes/Posts private to assigned users of a WordPress role.
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
C 55/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
+100%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “collaboration”, “notes” and “roles” 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.
55 health vs 61 average across 2,206 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 14.4K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,477 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 769 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.18★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 769 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.
34
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+0.7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| collaboration your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| notes your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| roles your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| teams your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| user your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “collaboration”, “notes” and “roles” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.3K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
2.1y ago
latest release · v2.5 · 24 Sep 2024
46
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 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 1 Jun 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ryanshoover9.5y ago
Using this on a WooCommerce site. Works like a charm. Great plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ PhilipBarrington10.9y ago
As a Web Developer, leaving notes for the Admin users who manage the go forward is a huge time saver. Thankyou for the time and effort put into this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manni6592911.0y ago
No a simple way to add role based help noted, no manual on the WP Dashboard or the installed plugin settigs screen. Requires knowledge of code / WP Codex and so not suitable to beginner. Simpler plugins are available.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ naptash11.0y ago
Works just like a post! I use it for handover instructions for my clients – and because it allows you to separate notes by users, you can customize the instructions for each person. I’ve tried a ton of dashboard-specific notes but this is by far the best one. Super easy to use. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ed G11.1y ago
I am using the Role Based Help Notes plugin on several sites. When combined with a support forum and a ticket system, Help Notes supplies the finishing touch to a complete system for addressing user’s needs for assistance and support. Justin has been very responsive to questions on the support forum and quickly gives answers, and when needed, updates to the plugin. One could not ask for a better plugin author.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ martijeanp11.9y ago
I have been using it on several websites and it has been soooo helpful when it comes my ‘Developer Notes’ Keep separate posts with instructions, snippets, descriptions, and anything that would help in reminding me of any special instructions for maintaining the site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vivies12.0y ago
I was in need of a system for my help desk support staff to store notes on frequently asked questions by students, and more importantly, to share their ‘canned replies’ to support inquiries with each other. I spent hours looking for the right solution for this, and nothing quite cut it. Until I ran into the Role-Based-Help-Notes plugin. It’s awesome. Simple and elegant. Combined with the User Role Editor, you get great flexibility in what permissions to give. And, Justin’s responsiveness and availability is over and above the call of duty!! There was a slight issue with permissions and he literally fixed it over a weekend. Impressive. Thanks so much for a GREAT plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ DivaVocals12.1y ago
Frequently when I’m building a website, I am making customizations to achieve a certain look or functionality. Typically, I was keeping track of these changes and the details in a dev document. However, if I was working on a client’s site remotely, I may not have this dev document with me. I would end up wasting valuable time trying to recall the details of some very specific customization I made because I didn’t have my notes with me. I realized that what would help was an admin notes plugin to create my site dev notebook.. I have been through a BOATLOAD of so-called “Admin Notes” plugins.. NOT ONE provided what I REALLY wanted.. Most functioned like “to-do” lists.. What I wanted was something which provided the EASE of adding a page or post, the ability to create very detailed docs or simple quick notes, but in the end I would get a list of notes not unlike the post or page list.. This plugin was JUST what I needed.. The fact that the notes are role based allows some interesting possibilities for my furture use of this plugin, but for now it made a FANTASTIC way for me to create the kind of admin notes that I wanted.. I created a down and dirty “helper” plugin to add taxonomy (topics) to this plugin so I can group and filter my notes by my new taxonomy. This plugin is a PERFECT and SIMPLE solution.. Kudos to Justin!!!
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 131 languages, 2 at 90% or more
Plus 107 more locales with partial translations.
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Help Notes/Posts private to assigned users of a WordPress role."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); 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 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,957 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "collaboration" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-23 20+ → 10+ down after 90 days in tier
- 2025-01-23 10+ → 20+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-01-20 20+ → 10+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-01-15 10+ → 20+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-01-13 20+ → 10+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-01-10 10+ → 20+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-01-09 20+ → 10+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-01-07 10+ → 20+ up after 2 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).
-
Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
HM Multiple Roles 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B - U User Switcher 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Frontend User Notes 70+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Quick Edit Notes 60+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - U User Hierarchy 20+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Role Based Help Notes into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/role-based-help-notes" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Role Based Help Notes — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Role Based Help Notes: 10+ active installs, 4.6★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/role-based-help-notes
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