Visual Editor Custom Buttons
by cyberduck · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 3.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Visual Editor Custom Buttons lets you add custom buttons to the Wordpress Visual 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 51/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
3K+
≈3.8K estimated
Momentum
-4%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “buttons”, “custom” and “rich editor” 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 →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 155.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,787 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.
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 6.2.15.
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 1257 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.2.15; the current branch is 7.1
4.6★ over 37 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.3★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Last updated 1257 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.
28
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 23d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 23d
-1.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| tiny mce editor your tag | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| tiny mce | #9 | #8 | down 1 |
| mce | #11 | #9 | 0 |
| buttons your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| custom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rich editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| visual editor your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
6 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 3 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “buttons”, “custom” and “rich editor” 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.9K · 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
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
3.4y ago
latest release · v1.6.0.3 · 26 May 2023
19
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 70% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 24 days ago and the previous band took 15 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 4K.
Install history since 1 Feb 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ gqqnbig3.2y ago
It has been working for a long time, but recently I upgraded my site and this plugin fails to work. Luckily, I just had to change add_action(‘admin_print_footer_scripts’, ‘_add_my_quicktags’); to add_action(‘after_wp_tiny_mce’, ‘_add_my_quicktags’); Then it works fine. Besides, I have no idea how this plugin is updated. https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/visual-editor-custom-buttons/ has its history and it seems the author only edited the readme file, while all other files are last modified in 2012. This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by gqqnbig.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sagrav7.5y ago
Simple and does exactly the job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jforena8.4y ago
Great plugin but generating errors. Please update!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ muzKore8.6y ago
The plugin in fantastic. Easily make custom buttons. Really great. Issue that I am having is that the plugin throws out numerous errors when debug is turned on. It would be great if the plugin author could fix this as it spams my error log every time the editor loads. Other than that, fantastic. This topic was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by muzKore.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pediwent8.7y ago
Several errors come up on installation. Some might be multisite issues, but at least two are coding issues. First, the plugin uses the deprecated get_currentuserinfo() function where it should use wp_get_current_user(). Not a show stopper, but if you have debug turned on, you’ll get a big warning message. Second, there is a $count++ line of code but $count is never defined. It looks left over after the developer changed a for loop to a foreach one. Last, when I try to create a new button, I get a 502 Bad Gateway error. On top of that, the plugin doesn’t exactly adhere to WordPress coding standards. I like the idea of the plugin, but uninstalling it for now.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ glendeni8.9y ago
simply, easy to understand, just works
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ demolishun9.0y ago
Needed to create custom html tagging inside WordPress text editor. Installed this plugin to create a button on the toolbar to insert my custom “pre” tag with my custom shortcodes and parameters. Took about 5 minutes to install, setup and use! Thank You!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ heditox9.1y ago
Crash error bug
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.6.0.3 More bug fixed for php8 1.6.0.3
- — Version 1.6.0.2 Bug fixed for php8 1.6.0.2
- — Version 1.6.0.1 Bug fixed not able to load js-button-file 1.6.0.1
- — Version 1.6 Prepared for php8 Prepared for Language translations Default Square Meter Icon Added 1.6
- — Version 1.5.2.3 count()-warning error fixed for php 7.x Two new icons added, SEO bold, SEO italic 1.5.2.3
- — Version 1.5.2.2 Php-error fixed. Thanks tim-reeves. Function conflict error fixed. Minor icon color change. 1.5.2.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 2 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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Visual Editor Custom Buttons lets you add custom buttons to the Wordpress Visual 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 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 705 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "rich editor", "tiny mce editor" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-10 4K+ → 3K+ down after 441 days in tier
- 2025-07-26 5K+ → 4K+ down after 349 days in tier
- 2024-08-11 6K+ → 5K+ down after 610 days in tier
- 2022-12-10 7K+ → 6K+ down after 484 days in tier
- 2021-08-13 8K+ → 7K+ down after 164 days in tier
- 2021-03-02 9K+ → 8K+ down after 257 days in tier
- 2020-06-18 10K+ → 9K+ down after 1455 days in tier
- 2016-06-24 9K+ → 10K+ up after 235 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).
-
Simple Custom CSS Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag C -
ACF Photo Gallery Field 60K+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag B - S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
- W WP Edit 40K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
-
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A - S Scripts n Styles 30K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Visual Editor Custom Buttons into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/visual-editor-custom-buttons" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Visual Editor Custom Buttons — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Visual Editor Custom Buttons: 3K+ active installs, 4.6★ (37 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/visual-editor-custom-buttons
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