WP Referral Code
by shalior · Email & Marketing
This plugin brings referral marketing to your WordPress website. It's dead simple, fast, customizable, and it's all free!
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 56/100
Stale
Active installs
500+
≈580 estimated
Momentum
n/a
no downloads in the prior 30 days to compare with
Biggest opportunity: Swap “affiliate” for “referral code”. “affiliate” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “referral code” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
56 health vs 66 average across 2,135 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.8%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 18.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Email & Marketing plugin keeps 0.9%, across 1,298 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Email & Marketing 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: Update recency
Updated 679 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 7.1
4.3★ over 11 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 679 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.
58
Momentum
Gaining ground
+0.7
Velocity
places per keyword, 16d
67%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 16d
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| referral code | #4 | #10 | up 1 |
| referral marketing your tag | #23 | #21 | up 1 |
| affiliate your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| affiliate marketing your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| refer your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| referral your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 1 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
- Swap “affiliate” for “referral code”. “affiliate” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “referral code” 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 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 799 · 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
1.9y ago
latest release · v1.4.12 · 25 Dec 2024
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 24 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 600.
Install history since 23 Jan 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Vondelphia.com12mo ago
No complaints. Everything works as I wanted, and it’s lightweight… I just copy a bunch of shortcodes and check things out and it works.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ temibright1.2y ago
I installed this plug-in yesterday but unfortunately it really broke my site… please update your plugin… thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ liquid.ideas3.3y ago
Just logging in specifically to say thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ georgefivaz3.5y ago
I’ve been searching for a plugin that can do this forever! Thanks you so much! It works like a charm! Keep up the good work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ titouan133.5y ago
Wonderful plugin, especially if you’re willing to use it as a base and add some code around. It has minimal functionalities but it can be all that you need. This topic was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by titouan13.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jobbyboy3.9y ago
This plugin crashed my website.. for me is pure shit!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mohammadpoor4.5y ago
useful for me
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ canhotro5.6y ago
The plugin is very potential but there are still many weaknesses that need improvement. Thanks to the author for creating this awesome plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 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 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,113 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "affiliate", "affiliate marketing" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-11 600+ → 500+ down after 141 days in tier
- 2026-05-23 700+ → 600+ down after 129 days in tier
- 2026-01-14 800+ → 700+ down after 90 days in tier
- 2025-10-16 900+ → 800+ down after 315 days in tier
- 2024-12-05 1K+ → 900+ down after 87 days in tier
- 2024-09-09 900+ → 1K+ up after 299 days in tier
- 2023-11-15 800+ → 900+ up after 196 days in tier
- 2023-05-03 700+ → 800+ up after 71 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).
-
Affiliates 2K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Affiliates WooCommerce Light 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
Affiliates Contact Form 7 Integration 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
Affiliates Events Manager 40+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Affiliates Import 20+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Referral Code into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-referral-code" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Referral Code — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Referral Code: 500+ active installs, 4.3★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-referral-code
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