Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers)
v4.2by perron · updated 5 months ago
Instantly reloads the browser when theme or plugin files are edited, or when content is saved.
- Rank
- #14,301
- No change yet
- Active installs (est.)
- ≈ 150
- 100+ reported · High
- Total downloads
- 7.1K
- 7,102 all-time
- Rating
- 4.3/5
- 6 reviews
- Support resolved
- –
- 0 of 0 threads, last 2 months
Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) at a glance
Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) is a WordPress plugin by perron with 100+ active installs, the #14,301 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 6 times, 11% more than the month before. It’s rated 4.3 out of 5 from 6 reviews. Version 4.2 came out on Jun 10, 2026 and is tested up to WordPress 7.0.8. Among the 5 plugins tagged “auto refresh”, it ranks #2. It was first released in 2023.
Chart time range
Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 9, 2026, 31 days.
Downloads over time
Download stats140 downloads · the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) |
|---|---|
| Nov 3, 2026 | 6 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 8 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 4 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 8 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 3 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 2 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 6 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 8 |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 3 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 7 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 8 |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 0 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 6 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 4 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 11 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 9 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 4 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 2 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 4 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 7 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 5 |
Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.
Estimated installs
≈ 150 · -6.8% in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Estimated installs |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | 150 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 151 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 150 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 150 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 149 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 150 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 149 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 150 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 149 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 150 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 150 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 161 |
Rank over time
#14,301 · up 54 in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | #14,301 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | #14,253 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | #14,276 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | #14,283 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | #14,385 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | #14,311 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | #14,306 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | #14,293 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | #14,302 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | #14,321 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | #14,374 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | #14,355 |
Growth %
Average -0.59% a day in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Growth |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | -0.66% |
| Nov 7, 2026 | +0.33% |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 4, 2026 | +0.67% |
| Nov 3, 2026 | -0.67% |
| Nov 2, 2026 | +0.67% |
| Nov 1, 2026 | -0.67% |
| Oct 31, 2026 | +0.67% |
| Oct 30, 2026 | -0.67% |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Oct 28, 2026 | -6.83% |
Active installs band
100+ on WordPress.org
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 6, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 100+ |
Search rankings
Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.
See where Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) ranks in search
Track this plugin to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.
Change log
From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org- Rank #14374 → #14276
- Tested up to 7.0.7 → 7.0.8
Versions in use
Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.
- v4.262%
- v3.230%
- v1.18.4%
Rating trend
4.3★★★★★6 reviews · steady in the last 30 days
Requirements & info
Version history- Version
- 4.2
- Requires WordPress
- 4.7
- Tested up to
- 7.0.8
- Requires PHP
- 7.0
- First released
- Oct 25, 2023
- Last updated
- Jun 10, 2026
- Releases, last 12 months
- …
Questions about Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers)
How many websites use Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers)?
Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) is active on 100+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #14,301 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.
How many times has Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) been downloaded?
7,102 times in total since 2023. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 6 times. See download stats
When was Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) last updated?
Version 4.2 came out on Jun 10, 2026 (4 months ago).
Is Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) 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 Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) still maintained?
Yes. Its last release was 4 months ago. No support threads were opened in the last two months.
What rating does Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) have?
4.3 out of 5 from 6 reviews on WordPress.org. 83% of them give 5 stars.
What are the best alternatives to Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers)?
The plugins most like Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers), by the tags they share, are Force Refresh (4K+), Easy Auto Reload (1K+) and Reloadify Frontend Sync (fewer than 10). Compare all alternatives
Latest reviews
Analyze reviewsReview stats
4.3
★★★★★
6 reviews
- 5 stars: 5 reviews, 83%
- 4 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- 3 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- 2 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- 1 stars: 1 reviews, 17%
- Positive
- 83%4–5★
- Mixed
- 0%3★
- Critical
- 17%1–2★
- About 1 more 5★ reviews would lift it to 4.4.
- Each new 1★ review takes 5 five-star reviews to balance out.
Compare with competitors
Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Estimated installs | ≈ 150 |
| Reported installs | 100+ |
| Rating | 4.3 |
| Reviews | 6 |
| Total downloads | 7.1K |
| Author | perron |
| First released | Oct 25, 2023 |
| Version | 4.2 |
| Requires WP | 4.7 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 |
| Last updated | Jun 10, 2026 |
Alternatives to Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers)
Compare all alternativesPopular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.
Force Refresh
by jordanleven
Force Refresh lets you request page refreshes for visitors viewing your site, whether you want to refresh the whole site or a single page.
- Rank
- #3,556
- Installs
- 4K+
- 5.0
Easy Auto Reload
by Ivijan-Stefan Stipic
Auto-refresh your WordPress pages on user inactivity. Keep sessions alive, nonces fresh, and engagement high with this lightweight plugin.
- Rank
- #5,770
- Installs
- 1K+
- 5.0
Reloadify Frontend Sync
by Shaoun Chandra Shill
Auto refresh WordPress frontend across browsers after saves in Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg, and more. Includes server and image optimization.
- Rank
- #71,105
- Installs
- Fewer than 10
Reloadr for WordPress
by tecking
Watching web project files for change, and refreshes their page automatically.
- Rank
- –
- Installs
- Fewer than 10
Merge + Minify + Refresh
by launchinteractive
Merges/Concatenates CSS & Javascript and then minifies using Minify (for CSS) and Google Closure (for JS with Minify as a fallback).
- Rank
- #3,669
- Installs
- 3K+
- 4.2
Auto Refresh Post & Page
by Aasim Ghaffar
Auto refresh posts and pages on a schedule — full reloads or seamless AJAX updates, countdown timers, role exclusions and smart pausing.
- Rank
- #17,906
- Installs
- 80+
Side by side:Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) vs Force RefreshLive Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) vs Easy Auto ReloadLive Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) vs Reloadify Frontend Sync