Simple Footnotes

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.

1. ★★★★★ Anonymous

   9.8y ago

   The fix at https://wordpress.org/support/topic/duplicate-entries-on-wp-35/ no longer seems to work, and https://wordpress.org/support/topic/single-footnote-appears-repeated-three-times/ doesn’t appear to have been addressed. Shame – it was a great little plugin. This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by kalebeul.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ leeked

   10.1y ago

   This was one of the only footnotes plugins I could find that supported using shortcodes inside of the footnote content. It is simple and works well.

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

   10.4y ago

   Does exactly what I was looking for! It displays below the page buttons in a way other footnote plugins did not.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ ElectricFeet

   10.8y ago

   Does what it says, very efficiently.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ glitteryspindles

   11.1y ago

   Simple, clean footnotes. Just the way I want it.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ Justin Fletcher

   11.3y ago

   I added this to my suggested plugins of Role Based Help Notes years ago. its an elegant way to create a little more flexibility to notes and documents, always great to have up your sleeve. Thanks Nacin!

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ FX Bénard

   11.4y ago

   Je l’utilise sur mon site et j’en suis plus que satisfait. La solution simple et légère pour incorporer de jolies notes de bas de page dans vos articles. Je la recommande ! Petit détail, il faut mettre les [ref]à la mano[/ref] mais rien de rédhibitoire.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ christinecooper

   11.5y ago

   I was expecting to install this plugin and perform various changes to the source files but for what it does, this is a very elegantly coded piece. For future upgrades, please keep it lightweight and simple as it is. Great job!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3

Growth timeline

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

1. 2026-02-10 700+ → 600+ down after 5 days in tier
2. 2026-02-05 600+ → 700+ up after 3 days in tier
3. 2026-02-02 700+ → 600+ down after 2 days in tier
4. 2026-01-31 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
5. 2026-01-30 700+ → 600+ down after 267 days in tier
6. 2025-05-08 800+ → 700+ down after 1 days in tier
7. 2025-05-07 700+ → 800+ up after 1 days in tier
8. 2025-05-06 800+ → 700+ down after 189 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).

• F FD Footnotes Plugin 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
• Blank Footnotes 300+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
• Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag B
• M MW WP Form 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A
• Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
• Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag C

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Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Footnotes into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Simple Footnotes: 600+ active installs, 4.7★ (15 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-28. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-footnotes