WP-LESS
by thom4 · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 10.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Implementation of LESS (Leaner CSS) in order to make themes development easier.
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 69/100
Stale
Active installs
10K+
≈15K estimated
Momentum
+7%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “styles”, “stylesheet” and “toolkit” 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.
69 health vs 58 average across 25,733 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 241.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,767 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.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: WP compatibility
Updated 535 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.8.19; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 19 reviews, smoothed to 4.24★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Set "Tested up to" to WordPress 6.8; lagging the current branch costs search weight.
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, 17d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 17d
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lessphp your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| lesscss your tag | #2 | #1 | 0 |
| read less | #23 | #21 | down 2 |
| styles your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| stylesheet your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| toolkit 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). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “styles”, “stylesheet” and “toolkit” 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 5.4K · 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
1.5y ago
latest release · v1.9.8 · 14 May 2025
15
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 76% 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 22 months ago; the previous band took 2.3 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Apr 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ marcrock9.8y ago
Nice to work with it. Thank you very much!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Makapaka10.7y ago
This plugin is fast and error free. It allows to easly add Less support to your WP theme. No needed configuration, just treat your *.less files like regular *.css in your theme’s directory.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alvinkonda10.7y ago
Thank you for this amazing plugin, it saves us Theme Developers lots of time with this simple implementation directly from the theme. i love the passing of variables as well. The only thing im not yet figuring it out is the CSS generated from the plugin doent cache, am i missing sth?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marie-Aude10.8y ago
A wonderful tool to get rid of headers bloated with css. Thanks a lot.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ qiujumper11.9y ago
Hi dude, I love this plugin,but I notice that there is no setting to display the line number of source code in the compiled,it makes it harder for developer to debug the css,I have read the doc in github, still can’t find it, can you help us about this? Please forgive my poor English,I’m a wp developer from Shanghai,China.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SSAndAssociates12.0y ago
Makes using Less in WordPress simple. Just include your .less file in your functions.php file.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ matijamrkaic12.0y ago
Simple and straightforward with amazing caching system. Never failed me. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SodaBicarbona12.4y ago
THNX for WP-LESS – saves a lot of time
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.9.0 feature: default less compiler is now wikimedia/less.php ( #117 ) feature: output is compressed by default 1.9.0
- — Version 1.8.0 feature: default less compiler is now oyejorge/less.php ( #90 1.8.0
- — Version 1.7.6 info: updated vendored lessphp libraries versions (oyejorge/[email protected]) 1.7.6
- — Version 1.7.5 feature: now works properly in the admin side ( #68 ) 1.7.5
- — Version 1.7.4 feature: favour composer autoload to manual PHP require ( #64 ) 1.7.4
- — Version 1.7.3 bug: fixed the LESS library loading ( #63 ) doc: documented the new LESS library swapping 1.7.3
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.9.8). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2025-04-01 CVE-2025-31550 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.9.6 Patched in 1.9.7
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 6.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 1 at 90% or more · development strings
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
4 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 "Implementation of LESS (Leaner CSS) in order to make themes development easier."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,087 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "lesscss", "lessphp" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-01-22 20K+ → 10K+ down after 843 days in tier
- 2022-10-02 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1388 days in tier
- 2018-12-14 20K+ → 30K+ up after 514 days in tier
- 2017-07-18 10K+ → 20K+ up after 681 days in tier
- 2015-09-06 8K+ → 10K+ 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).
-
WP Add Custom CSS 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
Custom CSS and JavaScript 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C - C CSS Theme Override 100+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Postscript 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Simple Custom CSS Plugin 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag C -
BlossomThemes Toolkit 30K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP-LESS into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-less" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP-LESS — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP-LESS: 10K+ active installs, 4.6★ (19 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-less
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