Slate Admin Theme
by ryansommers · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 1 other plugin · 6K+ installs across the portfolio →
A clean, simplified WordPress Admin theme.
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 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
6K+
≈6.5K estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin page”, “admin theme” and “white label” 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.
50 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.2%
of downloads still active
At least 6K of 143.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 4+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.9.20.
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 1734 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.9.20; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 44 reviews, smoothed to 4.38★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1734 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 page your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| admin theme your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| white label your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress admin panel your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress admin theme 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 page”, “admin theme” and “white label” 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 800 · 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
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
4.8y ago
latest release · v1.2.4 · 31 Jan 2022
24
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 97% 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 “6K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 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 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ rob0m4.5y ago
Slate make wp=admin a pleasure to use.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zaka8885.5y ago
This plugin now pretty much destroys the customizer as well as UX builder. Do not download. Very buggy
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Li-An5.7y ago
This admin theme is particularly well thought for High resolution screens so it’s better than default theme.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ adriannees5.8y ago
It’s a great looking theme but unfortunately it’s conflicting with something and preventing the customizer from saving changes. Every time I hit publish in Customizer when the SLATE theme is active I get the following: “Looks like something’s gone wrong. Wait a couple seconds, and then try again.” Also second that the woocommerce page is being overlapped by the top bar so that spacing needs to get fixed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ josflachs5.9y ago
I’d like to rate this extension 5 stars, but I can’t… It lacks one simple feature: you can’t change the theme. As it stands, the links are very difficult to read if you have bad eyesight – which I have – dark grey on black is too difficult for me to work with. Good work, highly recommended. If the developer can add that little feature? I’m not blind, but don’t have eagle eyes any more. Please? Pretty please with sugar on it? This topic was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by josflachs.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ditus5.9y ago
I’ve been using your plugin for a while and I really like it. But recently probably due to WordPress update, the top of a page gets hidden under the top Menu bar. For example, Woocommerce order page at the top has tabs like Stocks and Inbox, and all these tabs get hidden under the top menu bar. I had to disable the plugin for now. But it would be great if the bug would be fixed. Many thanks for such a great plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ishko6.3y ago
Nice out of the box. Works with wordpress standard admin color schemes. Pro version if you need customization options. Thanks for your work and keep this version free.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cybercress6.4y ago
This is such a simple thing that improves the overall appearance of the dashboard!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.4 Styling updates for WordPress 5.9. Removes post state from Customzier and Menus Styling fixes for Elementor and WooCommerce 1.2.4
- — Version 1.2.3 Styling updates for WordPress 5.5. 1.2.3
- — Version 1.2.2 Styling updates for WordPress 5.4. 1.2.2
- — Version 1.2.1 Styling updates for WordPress 5.1. 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2 Minor bug fixes. 1.2
- — Version 1.1.9 Compatibility update for WordPress 5.0+ and Gutenberg. 1.1.9
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.9
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
0 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 253 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("Admin page", "White Label", "wordpress admin panel" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-11-13 7K+ → 6K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-11-11 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-11-10 7K+ → 6K+ down after 590 days in tier
- 2024-03-30 8K+ → 7K+ down after 243 days in tier
- 2023-07-31 9K+ → 8K+ down after 91 days in tier
- 2023-05-01 10K+ → 9K+ down after 38 days in tier
- 2023-03-24 9K+ → 10K+ up after 7 days in tier
- 2023-03-17 10K+ → 9K+ down after 163 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 Webseo Admin Theme 10+ installs · 3.8★ · 5 shared tags D
-
WPShapere Lite 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C -
Clean WP Admin Theme – Simple design 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
UiPress lite | Effortless custom dashboards, admin themes and pages 6K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Zeus WordPress Admin 50+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
kontur Admin Style 40+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Slate Admin Theme into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/slate-admin-theme" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Slate Admin Theme — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Slate Admin Theme: 6K+ active installs, 4.7★ (44 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/slate-admin-theme
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