Shiny Updates
by Konstantin Obenland · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 13 other plugins · 23.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
A smoother experience for managing plugins and 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
D 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
-41%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “feature plugin” and “multisite” 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.
48 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.0%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 31K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 4.6.30, well behind 6.8.
Details
- Version
- 3-20160927
- Last updated
- 10.1y ago
- Added
- 2015-12-10 · 10 yrs old
- Requires WP
- 4.6
- Tested up to
- 4.6.30
- Requires PHP
- —
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 3686 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.6.30; the current branch is 6.8
4.8★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 4.25★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3686 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| feature plugin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| multisite your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| theme your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| updates 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
- “admin”, “feature plugin” and “multisite” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 157 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,100 to #45,000, 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 21 Oct 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 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 2 Jun 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Cadu de Castro Alves9.4y ago
This is far and away the better installation process experience. Looks like any modern app store. Or, in this case, “Plugin Store”. Worthy of all 5 stars. Looking forward to see it merged into the core! Congratulations!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anselm10.3y ago
Perfect
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Lu Is10.3y ago
What a nicer experience with plugins! Thanks for this awesome plugin. This should be the regular way to use the plugin section! I can’t understand any rating below 5 stars.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wpvince10.4y ago
I was really hoping this would have ability to roll-back an install or update. Never mind, I’ll keep dreaming …
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mosche10.4y ago
I really like this plugin. It saves a lot of time. I do miss the ability to immediately activate a plugin once it’s installed. But it’s definitely faster. To install new plugins. Keep up the good work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ paulnl10.5y ago
Nice and should be in the core. Not sure if it shows errors if an install goes wrong, does it?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ John10.5y ago
Overall it is good but need email notification and individual theme/plugin enable/disable updates
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Yakti-R10.6y ago
The user experience is just so much better.
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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Slack.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,456 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin", "multisite" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-29 20+ → 10+ down after 77 days in tier
- 2026-02-11 10+ → 20+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-02-08 20+ → 10+ down after 194 days in tier
- 2025-07-29 30+ → 20+ down after 353 days in tier
- 2024-08-10 40+ → 30+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-08-09 30+ → 40+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2024-08-06 40+ → 30+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-07-31 30+ → 40+ up after 3 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).
-
All In One Favicon 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C - C Cryout Serious Theme Settings 40K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
- S ShowID for Post/Page/Category/Tag/Comment 7K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Theme Test Drive 7K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D - R Root Relative URLs 5K+ installs · 3.3★ · 2 shared tags F
-
Plugin Report 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Shiny Updates into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/shiny-updates" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Shiny Updates — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Shiny Updates: 10+ active installs, 4.8★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/shiny-updates
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