Custom Dolly
Based on the famous Hello Dolly plugin, Custom Dolly allows you to use any song you like (or speech, film, play or anything else).
Consider an alternative
Custom Dolly shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 7 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 6 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.3 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Custom Dolly stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| custom | >100 |
| dolly | #44 |
| hello | >100 |
| lyrics | #33 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Custom Dolly
From the official readme · v1.0.0Description
Based on the famous Hello Dolly plugin, Custom Dolly allows you to use any song you like (or speech, film, play or anything else).
After installation simply go to Appearance->Custom Dolly to add or edit your lyrics (you can copy/paste lyrics from any lyrics page on the internet or any other source), click the update button and Custom Dolly will show a random lyric on every admin screen.
Installation
Installation is simple. Just upload the plugin or click “Install Now” from the WordPress plugins screen. Once you’ve installed, click on “Activate” to activate the plugin.
Remember once you’ve activated the plugin, go to Appearance->Custom Dolly to edit the song lyrics to your choosing.
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Custom Dolly alternatives
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FAQ
Custom Dolly: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 1, 2026
Is Custom Dolly free?
Yes. Custom Dolly is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Custom Dolly safe to use in 2026?
Custom Dolly shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 7 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Custom Dolly?
Custom Dolly is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,560 times since it launched in December 2019. It was downloaded 78 times in the last 30 days.
Does Custom Dolly work with WordPress 7.1?
Custom Dolly is officially tested up to WordPress 5.3.25, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Custom Dolly need?
Custom Dolly requires PHP 5.6 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Custom Dolly last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.0, was released on December 29, 2019 (7 years ago).
Who makes Custom Dolly?
Custom Dolly is developed and maintained by Red Balloon.
What are the best alternatives to Custom Dolly?
The most popular alternatives to Custom Dolly are White Label CMS (200K+ installs), Simple Custom CSS Plugin (100K+ installs) and ACF Photo Gallery Field (60K+ installs).
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