Theme Downloader
by George Stephanis · Uncategorized
Also makes 22 other plugins · 15.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
A handy dandy plugin that tries to let you download any installed theme as a zip file.
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
100+
≈170 estimated
Momentum
+12%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “download”, “theme” and “zip” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 29.8K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,782 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.9.40, well behind 7.1.
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 4409 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.9.40; the current branch is 7.1
3.6★ over 14 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.0★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4409 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| download your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| theme your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| zip your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “download”, “theme” and “zip” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 101 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
12.1y ago
latest release · v1.1.1 · 8 Oct 2014
4
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 66% of the way through.
Install history since 20 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ z33shan10.2y ago
Download button showing but on click it redirects to dashboard (../wp-admin) need help…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joshdance10.5y ago
As many reported, the ‘Download’ button does not appear. Work arounds and other ways to download a theme are here – http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7347839/download-theme-from-wordpress-admin-area-without-ftp/37016016#37016016
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nishabhalala10.6y ago
It doesn’t work for me. I can’t see any download link at theme page
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ patrickdeamorim10.6y ago
At first I could not find the download button either, turns out that I went to the page where I could select the theme to use. Instead, I tried going to the page where I can edit the theme itself within WordPress, and the download button was there. Worked wonderfully 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ginoskurtloven11.3y ago
tried this plug-in on wordpress version 4.2.2
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jd9011.3y ago
Dont show Download Buttom
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ plugins2411.7y ago
I use the latest German WP version and I can’t download anything. Like said before I don’t even find or see a download button
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Daniel Payne11.8y ago
I’ve installed this plugin and cannot even download the default theme: Twenty Fifteen. There is no Download Button to be found anywhere. I would appreciate at least a screen shot showing me where this Download Button is supposed to appear. I’m assuming that it should show up in Appearance> Themes, but really have no idea.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 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 "A handy dandy plugin that tries to let you download any installed theme as a zip file."
- ! 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 1,064 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-02 200+ → 100+ down after 451 days in tier
- 2025-03-08 300+ → 200+ down after 447 days in tier
- 2023-12-17 400+ → 300+ down after 289 days in tier
- 2023-03-03 500+ → 400+ down after 279 days in tier
- 2022-05-28 600+ → 500+ down after 121 days in tier
- 2022-01-27 700+ → 600+ down after 322 days in tier
- 2021-03-11 1K+ → 700+ down after 1090 days in tier
- 2018-03-17 2K+ → 1K+ down after 627 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).
-
Theme & Extension Downloader 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Quick Download – Themes and Plugins from WP Dashboard 70+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags - W WP Downloader 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
-
KP Zip Downloader 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
ZipMyMedia 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Child Theme Configurator 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Theme Downloader into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/theme-downloader" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Theme Downloader — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Theme Downloader: 100+ active installs, 3.6★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/theme-downloader
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