Widgets Reloaded
by Justin Tadlock · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 35 other plugins · 30.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
More advanced versions of the default WordPress widgets that come with highly customizable control panels.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+30%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “sidebar”, “widget” and “widgets” 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.
47 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 67K 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.
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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, 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 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.5★ over 11 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “sidebar”, “widget” and “widgets” 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 220 · 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
9.1y ago
latest release · v1.0.0 · 21 Sep 2017
10
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 79% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.6 years ago; the previous band took 2.2 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ JohnRoyce9.0y ago
Ran across this plugin a few years ago (!) when trying to improve my websites, and it was a great instant solution to add some functionality without a big learning curve. It’s basically self-explanatory, just install it and get going. Love software like this, thanks to the author.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Creative Sparks11.3y ago
Thank you very much for this osm plugin. It works very well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ victormontesdeo11.6y ago
Works!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jayaram11.7y ago
I like the plugin very much. Thank you mate 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ boomboomB11.8y ago
Does what it is supposed to. Removes so many headaches with the default widgets.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ javierfaus12.1y ago
Great work Justin. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mykellself12.3y ago
tanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jwhittaker9912.4y ago
A warning for people who use Link Manager. This plugin will see that widget disappear from your available widgets and worse, will delete all your previously created blogroll links. Deactivate this plugin and they’re still gone. Installing this plugin has costs me hours of extra work. There is no warning anywhere that this would happen. While I like the idea of this plugin, I think it’s wholly wrong to put forward a plugin that can do so much damage without comprehensive notes to warn people appropriately.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 79 languages, 2 at 90% or more
Plus 55 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
6 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 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 7 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you need", "if you want").
- ! 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 1,398 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "sidebar" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-04-13 2K+ → 1K+ down after 802 days in tier
- 2022-02-01 3K+ → 2K+ down after 637 days in tier
- 2020-05-05 4K+ → 3K+ down after 391 days in tier
- 2019-04-10 5K+ → 4K+ down after 405 days in tier
- 2018-03-01 7K+ → 5K+ down after 432 days in tier
- 2016-12-24 8K+ → 7K+ down
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).
-
Feature A Page Widget 3K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags D - C Contact Form 7 Widget 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D
- D Duplicate Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Image Widget 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Widgets Reloaded into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/widgets-reloaded" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Widgets Reloaded — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Widgets Reloaded: 1K+ active installs, 4.5★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/widgets-reloaded
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