Variable Column Block
by Ramiz Manked · Blocks
Also makes 2 other plugins · 90+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows you to add Variable Width Column block into WordPress Editor.
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 42/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
80+
≈88 estimated
Momentum
+1%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “block” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
42 health vs 71 average across 2,522 Blocks plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.6%
of downloads still active
At least 80 of 13.4K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Blocks plugin keeps 2.1%, across 1,577 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Blocks 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 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16.
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 1398 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16; the current branch is 6.8
3.0★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.00★ and held back under 25 reviews
1 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1398 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| block your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “block” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. 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 444 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #17,400 to #18,100, alongside the other plugins at 80+ 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.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
3.8y ago
latest release · v1.2.3 · 2 Jan 2023
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 22% 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 “80+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 90.
Install history since 19 Jul 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Tuuuukka7.0y ago
The idea is neat, but I think using JS on the front-end is a bit overkill and bad for the UX. The layout is created on when the document finishes loading, so with a bad network or a heavy content on the page it looks jumpy. I’d use a specific class on the wrapper element, like first-col-XXX, where the XXX is the width of the first column. And then I’d use CSS to style the first child, like flex-basis: XXX and so on..
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mediafluent7.2y ago
Range control displayed under ‘Column Width’ does not show up. When it’s fixed and works I’ll update review.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ grezes7.4y ago
After installing this plugin, all my existing columns took on the variable column’s width settings. This plugin is not limited to only its own variable column block.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gnanasekaran Loganathan7.7y ago
This Variable column can only create two columns in a row and change the width only for those two. We could not add more columns using this.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hayfordoleary7.7y ago
I liked the concept, and the interface of changing column proportion was easy. However, two deal breakers when used on the final WordPress block editor (on WP 5.0.3): 1. It breaks the CSS for the standard WP columns on the front end 2. It behaves like a block, not a block container. With standard WP columns, I can add sub-blocks underneath. This just gives me one single content area, that is difficult to format within.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.1.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 2 languages, 0 at 90% or more
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 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows you to add Variable Width Column block into WordPress Editor."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 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 Mentions Gutenberg.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 415 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 1 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-07 90+ → 80+ down after 153 days in tier
- 2026-03-07 100+ → 90+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-03-03 90+ → 100+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-02 100+ → 90+ down after 14 days in tier
- 2026-02-16 90+ → 100+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-15 100+ → 90+ down after 966 days in tier
- 2023-06-25 200+ → 100+ down after 187 days in tier
- 2022-12-20 300+ → 200+ down after 369 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).
-
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Layout Grid Block 200K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag D -
Crowdsignal Forms 200K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Variable Column Block into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/variable-column-block" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Variable Column Block — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Variable Column Block: 80+ active installs, 3.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/variable-column-block
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