Super Recent Posts Widget
by Mat Gargano · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 3 other plugins · 130+ installs across the portfolio →
Drag and drop the widget and fill out the appropriate fields. Some notes:
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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
50+
≈50 estimated
Momentum
+13%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “post” and “widget” 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.
45 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 50 of 6.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,188 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 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.3.27, well behind 6.8.
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 2475 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.3.27; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2475 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “post” and “widget” 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 130 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #20,100 to #21,200, alongside the other plugins at 50+ 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.
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.
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
6.8y ago
latest release · v0.3.0 · 21 Jan 2020
11
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “50+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 50.
Install history since 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ crzyhrse8.4y ago
Does exactly what I was looking for simply and well, in this case 3 different “recent post” areas in the sidebar, showing 3 different categories of recent posts… One thing I wish for, especially where there are multiple instances of the widget such as this, is that the entered title for the widget replace the name of the widget, as is the case with most widgets, rather than simply be appended after it… So that the widget instances are easily and quickly differentiated… As it is the Widget’s name is long and fills the space… And most of all thanks for your work and for keeping it current… Kind regards…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ fitnfunr12.6y ago
This plugin allowed me to list a multiple number of categories separately in the sidebar. I added it three times to one sidebar no problem. I tried 3 other plugins but they were limited in what they would do and how far they would go. One plugin could only be used for one category, after that it wouldn’t show the taxonomy list. Another allowed making but not showing custom post. And the last had text as large as titles with no way to change it. So thanks Mat Gargano Next feature:Please add checkboxes to allow more than one category to be used.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.4
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 Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("This isn’t working!").
- ! 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 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,168 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-28 40+ → 50+ up after 121 days in tier
- 2026-06-29 50+ → 40+ down after 26 days in tier
- 2026-06-03 40+ → 50+ up after 33 days in tier
- 2026-05-01 50+ → 40+ down after 401 days in tier
- 2025-03-26 60+ → 50+ down after 118 days in tier
- 2024-11-28 50+ → 60+ up after 16 days in tier
- 2024-11-12 60+ → 50+ down after 209 days in tier
- 2024-04-17 70+ → 60+ down after 194 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).
-
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Post Duplicator 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag B -
Post Type Switcher 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Super Recent Posts Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/super-recent-posts-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Super Recent Posts Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Super Recent Posts Widget: 50+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/super-recent-posts-widget
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