Simple Social Icons
by OsomPress · Social
Also makes 8 other plugins · 117K+ installs across the portfolio →
Display icons linking to your social profiles, via the classic widget or the core Social Icons block variations.
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
A 86/100
no flags
Active installs
100K+
≈150K estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “icons”, “social profile link” and “diaspora” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5, #8 and #9 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
86 health vs 58 average across 1,834 Social plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 100K of 3.4M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Social plugin keeps 0.5%, across 1,276 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Social plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 3 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 44 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.3★ over 92 reviews, smoothed to 4.23★
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
18%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| social icons | #1 | #2 | up 2 |
| social networking your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| social icon | #1 | #2 | up 2 |
| social profiles your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| networking | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| social icon widget | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| social media icons | #3 | #6 | up 1 |
| icons | #5 | #7 | 0 |
| social profile | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| social icons widget | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| easy social icons | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| custom social icons | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| social | #9 | #11 | down 4 |
| simple social widget | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| social widget icon | #4 | #5 | — |
| rss to social media | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| icon | #8 | #8 | up 1 |
| social profile link | #8 | #8 | down 1 |
| wordpress icons | #5 | #6 | up 1 |
| add social media icons to wordpress | #5 | #6 | 0 |
140 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 83 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “icons”, “social profile link” and “diaspora” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5, #8 and #9 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 155.1K · peaks are release surges
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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
1mo ago
latest release · v4.1.0 · 17 Sep 2026
37
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “100K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.7 years ago; the previous band took 7 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 7 Nov 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mwplant7mo ago
I had an issue with my Pixelfed icon not displaying as it needed a colour to be active, support where very helpful and quick to give me the support I needed, I love the way I can control all the social media channels I have with on plugin. I would recommend Simple Social Icons to any WordPress user.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vegisto11mo ago
Hallo together,want to include social icons like Bluesky and Mastodon. Kadence Virtuel Theme didn’t support this and would not be able to enter this feature since one year.I tried the plugin Simple Social Icon and it would be easy to solve this problem. Support will put my icons in the right color. So i love it….ThanksVegisto
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joachimott21.5y ago
The plugin is simple to use and very efficient. I had only one problem with the display of the icons and the support responded nearly immediately and solved the problem with one line of CSS-Code. Thank you very much! Joachim Ott
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Albert Calzada1.6y ago
I’ve used Simple Social Icons on several of my WordPress projects, and it has never let me down. It’s one of those plugins that just does what it’s supposed to do—no unnecessary settings, no bloated features, just clean and functional social icons. What I appreciate the most is how quick it is to set up. I can drop it into a widget area, tweak the colors and sizes to match the design, and it’s good to go. No need to dig through endless menus or deal with complicated configurations. It’s lightweight, looks great on any site, and just works. If you need a no-fuss way to add social icons without slowing down your site, this is definitely a solid choice. I keep using it in my projects, and I’ll probably continue to do so. Highly recommended!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ LindaLovesWordPress1.9y ago
So easy to install and set up! I had wanted an updated X and Bluesky. Thank you!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ecollart2.4y ago
Simple but nice and efficient plugin ! Missing icon added within a week ! Such a responsive support !!!! Eric Collart
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Annie2.6y ago
I had an conflicting plugin issue with this plugin and the support team was very kind and helpful. I was able to resolve the issue quickly and the plugin is working as it should.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Michael Brütsch3.0y ago
I mean I know Google+ is dead, but I always used it for the Google My Business profile. So please bring the G back (without the +)!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.0.0 Added block variations support for WordPress 6.9+ Extends core Social Icons block with 31 additional icons: AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, Bloglovin, Diaspora, Fedora, Google Photos, Google Scholar, IMDB, iVoox, Ko-fi, Lett 4.0.0
- — Version 3.2.5 Added Diaspora icon 3.2.5
- — Version 3.2.4 Improve Bluesky icon alignment 3.2.4
- — Version 3.2.3 Added Bluesky icon 3.2.3
- — Version 3.2.2 Added Etsy, Substack and Telegram icons 3.2.2
- — Version 3.2.1 Fixed issue with new icons 3.2.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 129 languages, 10 at 90% or more
Plus 105 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.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names Simple Social Icons when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Social feeds
Readme readiness
5 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Display icons linking to your social profiles, via the classic widget or the core Social Icons block variat..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 7 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Block editor.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,307 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 3 tags appear in the text ("social media", "social networking" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-03-07 200K+ → 100K+ down after 2556 days in tier
- 2016-03-07 100K+ → 200K+ 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).
-
Lightweight Social Icons 20K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags D -
Socials Ignited 2K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags C -
Candy Social Widget 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B - X xBooster Social Icons with Counter 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
SX Social Icons 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Name: Amazing Neo Brands 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Social Icons into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-social-icons" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Social Icons — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Social Icons: 100K+ active installs, 4.3★ (92 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-social-icons
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