Ultimate Posts Widget
by cl272 · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 1 other plugin · 40K+ installs across the portfolio →
The ultimate widget for displaying posts, custom post types or sticky posts with an array of options.
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
C 61/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10K+
≈15K estimated
Momentum
+32%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “custom post types”, “featured image” and “recent posts” 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.
61 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 497.2K 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
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
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: Update recency
Updated 836 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.5★ over 55 reviews, smoothed to 4.31★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 836 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.
33
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 22d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 22d
0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| custom post types your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| featured image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| recent posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sticky posts your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “custom post types”, “featured image” and “recent posts” 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 14.2K · 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
2.3y ago
latest release · v2.3.2 · 17 Jul 2024
29
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 69% 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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.5 years ago; the previous band took 3 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 19 Jun 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ChrisL3.9y ago
This plugin recently became a spam address harvester, sending automated emails to registered users asking them to ‘confirm their address’. Don’t install.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ deadweasel6.4y ago
Really love this widget, looks great on my sidebar, once it’s configured. However, that configuration is a bit of a gotcha, as the visibility settings keep reverting to defaults with everything enabled (I only need the titles visible), so any time I change another tab’s settings, I also have to go to the Visibility tab and turn the default stuff back off again as well. It’s like the plugin isn’t reading the current visibility settings, and simply shows its own default selections whenever it loads its view, so that’s what gets submitted on save if you don’t go back in and set them right again.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bobthearch8.5y ago
This didn’t work at all for me. The Display, Filter, and Order tabs were not clickable, leaving no way to tell it which post(s) to use.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Rick8.7y ago
This is an awesome plugin. It causes issues if you are using the widget on a Divi Sidebar module, it puts part of the sidebar code into the wp-admin dashboard on any pages with that module and widget on it. Unfortunately, I can’t change themes, so I couldn’t use, but overall this is a great plugin with lots of options.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Joona Nuutinen9.6y ago
Installed to create a simple list of custom post type posts, and BOOM, worked just as I hoped.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ milani9.6y ago
Thanks for your great plugin Doesn’t your plugin have shortcode? I think, that would be great if you put shortcode for your plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rbstern9.6y ago
Lots of flexibility. Custom templates + css gives complete control. Was able to quickly integrate this into a site exactly as the site owner wanted.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jayanta9.8y ago
this solves a lot of problems for me…wonder why i didn’t find it before.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.3.2 Tested with WordPress 6.6 Minor performance improvements Improvements for PHP 8 utilization 2.3.2
- — Version 2.3.1 [NOTE] Adjusted sanitization for widget fields even further [NOTE] Tested up with WordPress 6.4.3 2.3.1
- — Version 2.3.0 [NOTE] Upgraded analyst module to latest version [NOTE] Improved sanitization of widget fields [NOTE] Tested up with WordPress 6.4.2 2.3.0
- — Version 2.2.9 Resolved issue related to “exclude_current” missing index Updated “Try it out” module 2.2.9
- — Version 2.2.8 Fixed incorrect calls to plugins_url Updated banner module Updated opt-in module Tested with WordPress 6.4 Resolved issues with PHP 8.2 2.2.8
- — Version 2.2.7 Forced “Try it out” module to be disabled by default, user can still enable it manually. 2.2.7
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 4 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.3.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.4 Ultimate Posts Widget <= 2.3.0 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-02-13 CVE-2024-0561 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.3.0 Patched in 2.3.1
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.6
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 75 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 51 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.
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
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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Filters").
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you have", "designed for").
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,011 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "recent posts" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-05-06 20K+ → 10K+ down after 1089 days in tier
- 2020-05-12 30K+ → 20K+ down after 708 days in tier
- 2018-06-04 40K+ → 30K+ down after 123 days in tier
- 2018-02-01 30K+ → 40K+ up after 221 days in tier
- 2017-06-25 40K+ → 30K+ down after 81 days in tier
- 2017-04-05 30K+ → 40K+ up after 676 days in tier
- 2015-05-30 20K+ → 30K+ 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).
-
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
ThemeZee Widget Bundle 5K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A - R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Ultimate Post List 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A - F Featured Image 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Ultimate Posts Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/ultimate-posts-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Ultimate Posts Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Ultimate Posts Widget: 10K+ active installs, 4.5★ (55 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/ultimate-posts-widget
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