WP Vanilla Connect
by nickiler · Login & Users
This plugin allows your WordPress users to authenticate and login to Vanilla forums like Facebook Connect.
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 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
0%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “authentication” for “logon”. “authentication” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “logon” sits at #20 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
44 health vs 61 average across 2,206 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.2%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 5.7K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,477 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users 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 14+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.3.2, 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 5377 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.3.2; the current branch is 6.8
4.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.09★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 5377 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| logon | #20 | #13 | 0 |
| authentication your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| cross domain your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| login your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sso your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| vanilla your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “authentication” for “logon”. “authentication” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “logon” sits at #20 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 47 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
14.7y ago
latest release · v1.1.1 · 12 Feb 2012
3
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Dec 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ onliniak10.6y ago
This plugin work with all vanillas. But … only when you already login on WordPress website.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ owenmck12.2y ago
It was amazingly simple to deploy on WP 3.9.2: Install & activate a plugin at each end (WP and Vanilla), then fill in a form in the WP plugin, and finally paste the auto-generated connection strings into the Vanilla plugin, and you’re done! There’s a youtube video which is a bit old now but it walks you through all this more than adequately. (see ‘Integrate Vanilla Forums into Your WordPress Website‘.) Worked first time. I had nearly given up after I could not get the official WP Vanilla plugin to connect SSO, but thank goodness that this alternative was a breeze. And many thanks for sharing your cleverness!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ B.A. Umberger13.0y ago
I’ve no doubt that this was a good plugin at one time, but it no longer seems to be working (at least not on a fresh install of the latest version of WP) and the developer has ZERO support options, no forums (how much sense does that make considering the nature of this plugin) and isn’t responding to comments for support on his own site. I’m not the only one complaining about the issue. This looks to be a dead project, hope someone else takes it over.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joonymobile13.6y ago
Using a multisite, and was wondering why i couldn’t activate the plugin. It should be “network-activated” which is totally fine. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
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 "This plugin allows your WordPress users to authenticate and login to Vanilla forums like Facebook Connect."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you need"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Facebook.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,627 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "cross domain" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-11-13 20+ → 10+ down after 18 days in tier
- 2025-10-26 10+ → 20+ up after 34 days in tier
- 2025-09-22 20+ → 10+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2025-09-14 10+ → 20+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-09-12 20+ → 10+ down after 30 days in tier
- 2025-08-13 10+ → 20+ up after 47 days in tier
- 2025-06-27 20+ → 10+ down after 670 days in tier
- 2023-08-27 30+ → 20+ down after 327 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).
-
Login for Google Apps by WPAuth 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A - L Limit Login Attempts 200K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
-
WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags B -
Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP Limit Login Attempts 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Vanilla Connect into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-vanilla-connect" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Vanilla Connect — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Vanilla Connect: 10+ active installs, 4.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-vanilla-connect
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