How to get more active installs for a WordPress plugin
Oct 28, 2026
Active installs are the number most plugin authors watch, and the one they can least change directly. This guide explains how WordPress.org reports the figure, why its bands move faster at some sizes than others, how installs feed into search, and the four things that actually bring more sites to a plugin: being found for the right searches, staying fresh and compatible, converting the people who see your listing, and keeping the sites you already have.
How WordPress.org reports active installs
Active installs count sites where your plugin is active, not downloads. Every automatic update is a download, so downloads say little about reach; installs are the figure that does.
WordPress.org never publishes the exact count. It rounds it down to one significant figure and shows the floor: 6,350 sites show as 6,000+, and 1,999 sites still show as 1,000+. Each band is one step of its own size wide:
| Shown as | Real count |
|---|---|
| 300+ | 300–399 |
| 1,000+ | 1,000–1,999 |
| 6,000+ | 6,000–6,999 |
| 9,000+ | 9,000–9,999 |
| 10,000+ | 10,000–19,999 |
| 7 million+ | 7,000,000–7,999,999 |
That shape has a practical consequence. At the start of each power of ten the bands are wide: a plugin at a real 1,000 sites has to double before WordPress.org shows 2,000+. At the end of each power of ten they’re narrow: 9,000+ to 10,000+ can take as little as 11% more sites. So a plugin can grow steadily for months while the public figure stands still, then move twice in quick succession.
Because the figure is rounded, don’t judge a change by the band alone. A band that hasn’t moved doesn’t mean growth has stopped.
Installs follow search, not the other way round
Installs are one of the six factors WordPress.org’s plugin search multiplies a plugin’s score by. The factor is log10(2 + 0.375 × installs), computed on the rounded band, so it only moves when the band does. It is deliberately flat:
| Band change | Installs factor | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000+ to 2,000+ | ×2.58 to ×2.88 | +12% |
| 9,000+ to 10,000+ | ×3.53 to ×3.57 | +1% |
| 10,000+ to 20,000+ | ×3.57 to ×3.88 | +8% |
| 100,000+ to 200,000+ | ×4.57 to ×4.88 | +7% |
Ten times the installs, from 1,000+ to 10,000+, lifts the factor by about 39%. That’s about what a plugin a year past its last release gains from a new version (×0.70 back to ×1.00), and less than a plugin with no resolved support threads gains from resolving four (×0.30 to ×0.48). How to rank higher in WordPress.org plugin search covers all six factors.
The lesson is the order of cause and effect. A bigger installs band helps your ranking only a little; a better ranking brings installs. So the work below is mostly about search position and about turning a search result into an install.
1. Be found for the searches people make
Most installs from the directory start with a search, either on WordPress.org or in the Add Plugins screen inside WordPress, which searches the same directory. Two things decide whether you appear for a search:
- Every word has to appear. WordPress.org only returns plugins whose text contains every word of the search. If a common search includes a word that isn’t in your name, short description, tags or description, you aren’t in those results at all.
- Your name and slug carry the most weight. A search that matches your name scores well above one that only matches your description.
Start with the searches that match what your plugin does, then check where you actually rank for each. The Keyword Tracker shows today’s top 20 for a search and where your plugin sits in the top 100. How to choose a plugin name, short description and tags that search can find covers the text side.
Pick your battles. A search whose top ten all have 1 million+ installs is very hard to break into; a narrower search with smaller leaders may bring more installs for you, even if fewer people type it. The Keyword Difficulty tool estimates the installs a plugin needs to reach the top 10, top 3 and first place for a search, using WordPress.org’s own scoring.
2. Stay fresh and compatible
Search keeps a plugin’s freshness at full score for 180 days after its last release, then lowers it: ×0.84 at 270 days, ×0.70 at a year. Any new version resets it. The Decay Countdown shows the date for any plugin.
“Tested up to” matters twice. Search gives full score within 0.1 of the current WordPress branch and less beyond it: one branch further behind is ×0.88. And people see it. The Add Plugins screen in WordPress marks each plugin as compatible or “Untested with your version of WordPress”, and a plugin that hasn’t been tested with the latest three major releases gets a warning on its WordPress.org page that it may no longer be maintained. Both put people off before they read anything else.
Updating “Tested up to” after each major WordPress release is a readme edit, with no new code needed.
3. Turn more views into installs
Ranking gets you seen; your listing decides whether people install. In the Add Plugins screen, each result shows your name, short description, author, star rating and number of ratings, active installs, when you last updated, and the compatibility line. On WordPress.org, people also see your banner, screenshots, description and FAQ.
- Name: say what the plugin does in plain words. A clever brand on its own tells nobody anything in a list of results.
- Short description: WordPress.org cuts it at 150 characters. Spend them on what the plugin does and who it’s for, using the words people search with.
- Rating: a plugin with no ratings shows empty stars, which look worse than a decent average. Your first few reviews matter most. Search counts no ratings as 2.5 stars.
- Screenshots and banner: show the plugin working, not a logo. People decide quickly.
- Last updated: a recent date reassures; a date years ago is a reason to scroll on.
The Readme Checker scores a readme the way search reads it and flags missing sections.
4. Keep the sites you already have
Active installs are a count of sites using the plugin now, so every deactivation takes one away. Growth is new installs minus the ones you lose, and the second half is easy to forget.
What keeps sites: a plugin that works after each WordPress and PHP update, answers in the support forum, and no surprises after an update. What loses them: a broken release, an upsell that gets in the way of the free features, or a setting that silently changes. Read your 1- and 2-star reviews and your support threads after each release; they’re where lost sites leave their reasons.
How to measure progress
Because WordPress.org rounds the figure, you need something finer than the band to see whether a change worked.
- Estimated installs. TrackWP places each plugin within its band using its popular rank among plugins on the same floor, its downloads, and how long ago it last changed band. Confidence is lower when the band is wide or few plugins share it.
- Growth goals. Set an installs target at a WordPress.org band, and TrackWP projects a date from your recent history and alerts you when you reach it. Every plan includes at least one goal.
- Keyword positions. Track the searches that bring you installs and watch them daily. Every plan includes keyword tracking, from 3 keywords on the free plan.
Where to start
- List the five searches that describe your plugin best, and check that every word of each is in your listing.
- Check where you rank for each, and how hard each is.
- Release before day 180, and update “Tested up to” after each major WordPress release.
- Rewrite your short description for the person scanning a list of results.
- Earn your first reviews, and read the low ones after every release.
Installs then follow. If they don’t, Why your plugin’s downloads dropped covers what to check.