RSS Just Better
by Stefi · Content & Feeds
Also makes 1 other plugin · 310+ installs across the portfolio →
Displays a list of RSS/Atom feed items given the feed URL and other parameters (optionals). Highly customizable.
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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈380 estimated
Momentum
-100%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “atom”, “feed” and “feeds” 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.
46 health vs 64 average across 1,202 Content & Feeds plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.6%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 47K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Content & Feeds plugin keeps 0.8%, across 867 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Content & Feeds 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.3.34, well behind 7.1.
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 4002 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.3.34; the current branch is 7.1
4.5★ over 8 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4002 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| atom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| feed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| feeds your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rss your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “atom”, “feed” and “feeds” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 125 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ 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
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
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
11.0y ago
latest release · v1.4 · 19 Nov 2015
11
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 91% 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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 400.
Install history since 20 Nov 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ AlwaysEnthusiast9.5y ago
The only RSS plugin I found so far that can sort according to title. Works fine.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ VMtech10.9y ago
It’s a simple plugin that works well. However, the design may need adjusting via CSS.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ camperxr11.7y ago
It’s a little bit old but it’s teh only one plugin to do this work: open in a new window the rss link! Great. Thank you
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Seb Alexander12.4y ago
A very good plugin only let down by the fact that you can’t play around with the display too much ie change colour scheme or display output. Or if you can It’s not easy for a beginner like me to figure out. Also there is no spacing between content on the feed. Overall easy to use and does the job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rocketman7k13.2y ago
Thanks for the plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hartmutnz13.6y ago
Installed easy, added the shortcode to a post page, tweaked the details, added my Feed URL and it’s all working fine, thanks for the plugin! View this in action here: http://www.artandcraftconnection.com/?p=1513
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ crabiet13.8y ago
Due to Filter_var function in the code, this plugin needs PHP 5.2+ 🙁 Can’t be use on Free.fr servers.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sleeplessinDC13.8y ago
Update — 20Oct2015 — Still works on WordPress 4.3.1. But the developer’s links to her site aren’t connecting to her database so there is no way to contact her. I’d like to delete the line about “Powered by RSS Just Better 1.3 because it links to a nonfunctioning site. I have a variety of RSS feeds and this one helps display some that other RSS feed displays can’t handle really well.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 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 "Displays a list of RSS/Atom feed items given the feed URL and other parameters (optionals). Highly customiz..."
- ! 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 ("As a widget, you drag & drop the widget to any widget-ready area of your theme; open and complete the widget form and click on the ‘Save’ button. Close the widget if you want. Check your wp site now.").
- ! 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 4 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 8,249 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 4 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-28 400+ → 300+ down after 64 days in tier
- 2026-08-25 300+ → 400+ up after 18 days in tier
- 2026-08-07 400+ → 300+ down after 236 days in tier
- 2025-12-14 500+ → 400+ down after 238 days in tier
- 2025-04-20 600+ → 500+ down after 37 days in tier
- 2025-03-14 700+ → 600+ down after 132 days in tier
- 2024-11-02 800+ → 700+ down after 177 days in tier
- 2024-05-09 900+ → 800+ down after 161 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).
- W WP Pubsubhubbub 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags
-
GN Publisher: Google News Compatible RSS Feeds 20K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A - D Disable Feeds 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags D
-
RSS Includes Pages 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags A -
Disable Feeds WP 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags B - F FeedWordPress 8K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for RSS Just Better into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/rss-just-better" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="RSS Just Better — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> RSS Just Better: 300+ active installs, 4.5★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/rss-just-better
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.