WP-PostViews
by Lester Chan · Analytics
Also makes 20 other plugins · 753K+ installs across the portfolio →
Enables you to display how many times a post/page had been viewed.
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
A 88/100
no flags
Active installs
90K+
≈100K estimated
Momentum
-11%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “counter” for “viewed”. “counter” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “viewed” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
88 health vs 67 average across 1,826 Analytics plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.6%
of downloads still active
At least 90K of 3.5M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Analytics plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,007 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Analytics plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 3 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 69 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.4★ over 65 reviews, smoothed to 4.27★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
39
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
20%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| postviews your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| viewed | #4 | #2 | 0 |
| hits your tag | #5 | #6 | 0 |
| hit counter | #13 | #6 | 0 |
| hits counter | #9 | #6 | down 1 |
| post viewed | #16 | #15 | down 1 |
| post hits | #17 | #18 | — |
| views counter | #24 | #13 | down 1 |
| counter your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| statistics your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| views your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
62 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 54 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
- Swap “counter” for “viewed”. “counter” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “viewed” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 55K · 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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v2.0.1 · 24 Aug 2026
28
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “90K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 20 days ago and the previous band took 5.9 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 100K.
Install history since 1 Dec 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ KR. Laboratories1.0y ago
I’ve been using WP-PostViews for some time now, and it’s a very straightforward and effective plugin for displaying post views. The settings to count views only from guests and exclude bots work well. However, I’ve noticed that if a guest refreshes a page multiple times, each refresh is counted as a new view. While this is typical behavior for a basic hit counter, it makes the view count less representative of actual unique visitors. I would highly recommend considering an enhancement to include an option to count unique views based on IP address (e.g., once per IP within a specified timeframe like 24 hours). This would significantly improve the accuracy of the statistics and make the plugin even more valuable for site owners who want to track genuine reader engagement. Thank you for this plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ whitelabelcroydon2.5y ago
Have been using this a while along side Advanced Queries and Elementors Loop widget to display a list grid of most popular articles on a website. Doesnt seem to be working anymore. I think its still keeping count of the post views, but the views template variable isnt pulling in the correct posts. From the posts it is showing it looked like it stopped updating in January of this year. Will need to find another solution!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sergio.pinna.prato2.5y ago
It doesn’t work with 6.5.2 wordpres version. This topic was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by sergio.pinna.prato.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Beulahland833.8y ago
The plugin is no longer compatible with some themes example of (Corpo)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ douggeeks4.6y ago
Very useful little plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ahmed Faruk4.9y ago
This is the Plugin that I was looking for. Thanks a lot!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eddy05225.3y ago
Very nice plugin, but I still have an advice that the view counter data should be saved in a new table. Now it was saved in “wp_postmeta”. Maybe it can be improved. Never mind, just my idea. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wissdomm5.5y ago
I accidentally delete this plugin from my web, and now all the views are reset to 0, can you help me how to restore the previous views ? Thankyou so much if you can help me please..
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.78 NEW: Add %POST_THUMBNAIL_URL% to template variables 1.78
- — Version 1.77 NEW: Use Vanilla JS. Props @JiveDig NEW: Bump to WordPress 6.2 NEW: Support views under fields for Rest API. Props @vitro-mod 1.77
- — Version 1.78.1 NEW: WordPress 7.0 1.78.1
- — Version 2.0.0 FIXED: The two templates are echoed as markup on the strength of being wp_kses_post() ‘d when saved — and that was true only of the settings screen. The 2.0.0 migration writes through a different door, and the row it fol 2.0.0
- — Version 2.0.1 NEW: A Settings link on the plugin’s row on the Plugins screen FIXED: “Count Views From” was only honoured while the page rendered. On a cached site the counting happens through a separate AJAX or REST call instead, and 2.0.1
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.0.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
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 6.8.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 77 languages, 8 at 90% or more
Plus 53 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
4 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Enables you to display how many times a post/page had been viewed."
- ! 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 One audience phrase ("use it"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions REST API, WP-CLI.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,534 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("Counter", "hits", "statistics" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-12 100K+ → 90K+ down after 2171 days in tier
- 2020-11-01 200K+ → 100K+ 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).
- W WP-PostViews Plus widget 20+ installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags
-
Post Views Counter 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags A -
Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
Real-Time Post Statistics for WordPress 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Pageviews 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D -
Post Views Stats Counter 600+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP-PostViews into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-postviews" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP-PostViews — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP-PostViews: 90K+ active installs, 4.4★ (65 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-postviews
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