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Friends

v4.4.0

by Alex Kirk · updated 25 days ago

A self-hosted social reader for WordPress: follow people via RSS and ActivityPub, with multiple themes and a plugin ecosystem.

decentralizedfriendsown-your-datarsssocial network
WordPress.org SaveAnalyze reviews Track this plugin
Rank
#7,175
Up6 vs yesterday
Active installs (est.)
≈ 931
900+ reported · High
Total downloads
97.8K
97,848 all-time
Rating
5.0/5
7 reviews
Support resolved
50%
1 of 2 threads, last 2 months
Declining·Downloads -7.7% (30d)·Toward 800+ · ETA ~55d

Friends at a glance

Friends is a WordPress plugin by Alex Kirk with 900+ active installs, the #7,175 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 46 times, 8% fewer than the month before. It’s rated 5.0 out of 5 from 7 reviews. Version 4.4.0 came out on Oct 14, 2026 and is tested up to WordPress 7.0.8. It leads the 8 plugins tagged “decentralized”. It was first released in 2018.

Chart time range

Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 9, 2026, 31 days.

Showing the last 30 days. Full history comes with any paid plan.See plans

Downloads over time

Download stats

1.9K downloads · the last 30 days

Downloads over time
Friends Compare series
Downloads over time: 21 days across 1 series.0500Oct 9Oct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 26Oct 29Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.0.8
View as table
DateFriends
Oct 29, 202621
Oct 28, 202654
Oct 27, 202637
Oct 26, 202649
Oct 25, 2026136
Oct 24, 202625
Oct 23, 202625
Oct 22, 202650
Oct 21, 202660
Oct 20, 202633
Oct 19, 202646
Oct 18, 202632
Oct 17, 202648
Oct 16, 202646
Oct 15, 2026237
Oct 14, 2026906
Oct 13, 202630
Oct 12, 202621
Oct 11, 202620
Oct 10, 202614
Oct 9, 202619

Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.

Estimated installs

≈ 931 · -0.5% in the last 30 days

Estimated installs
Estimated installs: 12 days across 1 series.930935Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.0.8
View as table
DateEstimated installs
Nov 8, 2026931
Nov 7, 2026929
Nov 5, 2026932
Nov 4, 2026933
Nov 3, 2026933
Nov 2, 2026931
Nov 1, 2026935
Oct 31, 2026935
Oct 30, 2026937
Oct 29, 2026937
Oct 28, 2026933
Oct 27, 2026936

Rank over time

#7,175 · up 4 in the last 30 days

Popular rank
Popular rank: 13 days across 1 series.#7.1K#7.2K#7.2KOct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.0.8
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 8, 2026#7,175
Nov 7, 2026#7,181
Nov 6, 2026#7,164
Nov 5, 2026#7,166
Nov 4, 2026#7,165
Nov 3, 2026#7,158
Nov 2, 2026#7,168
Nov 1, 2026#7,148
Oct 31, 2026#7,151
Oct 30, 2026#7,138
Oct 29, 2026#7,155
Oct 28, 2026#7,179
Oct 27, 2026#7,179

Growth %

Average -0.04% a day in the last 30 days

Growth %, day over day
Growth %, day over day: 11 days across 1 series.0%Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
View as table
DateGrowth
Nov 8, 2026+0.21%
Nov 7, 2026-0.16%
Nov 5, 2026-0.11%
Nov 4, 20260.00%
Nov 3, 2026+0.21%
Nov 2, 2026-0.43%
Nov 1, 20260.00%
Oct 31, 2026-0.21%
Oct 30, 20260.00%
Oct 29, 2026+0.43%
Oct 28, 2026-0.32%

Active installs band

900+ on WordPress.org

Active installs (rounded band)
Active installs (rounded band): 13 days across 1 series.850900950Oct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.0.8
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 8, 2026900+
Nov 7, 2026900+
Nov 6, 2026900+
Nov 5, 2026900+
Nov 4, 2026900+
Nov 3, 2026900+
Nov 2, 2026900+
Nov 1, 2026900+
Oct 31, 2026900+
Oct 30, 2026900+
Oct 29, 2026900+
Oct 28, 2026900+
Oct 27, 2026900+

Search rankings

Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.

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Change log

From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org
  1. Rank #7179 → #7166
    • Tested up to 7.0.7 → 7.0.8

Versions in use

Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.

  • v4.477%
  • v4.38.8%
  • v3.67.3%
  • v4.26.9%

Rating trend

5.0★★★★★7 reviews · steady in the last 30 days

Requirements & info

Version history
Version
4.4.0
Requires WordPress
–
Tested up to
7.0.8
Requires PHP
7.4
First released
May 6, 2018
Last updated
Oct 14, 2026
Releases, last 12 months
…

Questions about Friends

How many websites use Friends?

Friends is active on 900+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #7,175 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.

How many times has Friends been downloaded?

97,848 times in total since 2018. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 46 times. See download stats

When was Friends last updated?

Version 4.4.0 came out on Oct 14, 2026 (3 weeks ago).

Is Friends compatible with the latest WordPress?

It’s tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, one version behind the current 7.1. Authors often update this line a few weeks after a release.

Is Friends still maintained?

Yes. Its last release was 3 weeks ago. Its authors resolved 1 of the 2 support threads opened in the last two months.

What rating does Friends have?

5.0 out of 5 from 7 reviews on WordPress.org. 100% of them give 5 stars.

What are the best alternatives to Friends?

The plugins most like Friends, by the tags they share, are GN Publisher (20K+), RSS for Yandex Turbo (20K+) and RSS Importer (20K+). Compare all alternatives

Latest reviews

Analyze reviews
All reviews on WordPress.org

Review stats

5.0

★★★★★

7 reviews

  • 5 stars: 7 reviews, 100%
  • 4 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
  • 3 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
  • 2 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
  • 1 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
Positive
100%4–5★
Mixed
0%3★
Critical
0%1–2★

Compare with competitors

Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.

Starter · 1 competitor
Friends
Suggested:
Metric
Friends
Estimated installs≈ 931
Reported installs900+
Rating5.0
Reviews7
Total downloads97.8K
AuthorAlex Kirk
First releasedMay 6, 2018
Version4.4.0
Requires WP–
Requires PHP7.4
Last updatedOct 14, 2026

Alternatives to Friends

Compare all alternatives

Popular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.

Side by side:Friends vs GN PublisherFriends vs RSS for Yandex TurboFriends vs RSS Importer

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