Nucleus Audio Playlist
A modern, self-hosted HTML5 audio player for WordPress. Drop MP3s in a folder, add a shortcode, and play.
Use with caution
Nucleus Audio Playlist works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 51/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
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 Nucleus Audio Playlist stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| audio player | >100 |
| mp3 | #94 |
| music player | #75 |
| playlist | #92 |
| waveform | #15 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Nucleus Audio Playlist
From the official readme · v1.0.0Description
Audio Playlist is a modern, self-hosted HTML5 audio player for WordPress. It dynamically reads MP3 and WAV files from a folder on your server — no Spotify, no SoundCloud, no dependency on external music services.
Features
- Reads tracks automatically from your audio folder
- Displays track titles based on filenames (clean formatting with spaces and capitalization)
- Displays a cover image (cover.jpg or cover.png) for the playlist
- Renders an interactive waveform powered by WaveSurfer.js
- Full playback controls: Play, Pause, Previous, Next, Shuffle, Loop, Volume
- Auto-scrolling title for long track names
- Works in any shortcode-compatible field — no Gutenberg block required
- Compatible with Divi and other page builders
- Configurable background color for the player
Usage
Place your MP3 files in a folder named playlist under your audio base directory, add a cover.jpg, then use the shortcode:
[nuclaup_playlist label="My Playlist"]
Free version limitations
- Reads tracks from a single fixed folder named
playlist - Single cover image per playlist (cover.jpg) — no per-track covers
Pro version
Audio Playlist Pro adds:
- Multiple playlists with custom folder paths
- ID3 tag reading (title, artist) for accurate track metadata
- Per-track cover art via catalog code matching
- Companion Python script to extract and resize cover art from MP3 ID3 tags
- Advanced admin panel with catalog code configuration
Installation
- Upload the
audio-playlistfolder to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate the plugin from Plugins → Installed Plugins
- Open Audio Playlist from the WordPress sidebar
- If your audio folder is named
audioand is located in the root of your site, no configuration is needed — the plugin works automatically.
Folder structure
Place your audio files like this:
/audio/playlist/track01.mp3
/audio/playlist/track02.mp3
/audio/playlist/cover.jpg
Then use the shortcode [nuclaup_playlist label="My Playlist"] anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to configure anything?
No. If your audio folder is named audio and is in the root of your site, the plugin works out of the box.
Why does the shortcode not have a folder parameter?
The free version reads from a single fixed folder (playlist) by design. The Pro version allows custom folder paths and multiple independent playlists.
What if I use multiple shortcodes on the same page?
They will all display the same playlist, since the free version uses a single fixed folder.
What image formats are supported for cover art?
JPG and PNG. Name the file cover.jpg or cover.png and place it in the playlist folder.
Does it work with Divi?
Yes. A dedicated Divi Integration tab inside the plugin provides ready-to-paste CSS to fix any style conflicts.
Does it work on shared hosting?
Yes. The plugin uses WordPress native functions and does not require CLI access.
Can I change the player background color?
Yes, from the plugin’s Settings tab in the WordPress admin.
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 Nucleus Audio Playlist alternatives
All audio player plugins →
FAQ
Nucleus Audio Playlist: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 16, 2026
Is Nucleus Audio Playlist free?
Yes. Nucleus Audio Playlist is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Nucleus Audio Playlist safe to use in 2026?
Nucleus Audio Playlist works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 51/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Nucleus Audio Playlist?
Nucleus Audio Playlist is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 269 times since it launched in June 2026. It was downloaded 62 times in the last 30 days.
Does Nucleus Audio Playlist work with WordPress 7.1?
Nucleus Audio Playlist is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.7, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Nucleus Audio Playlist need?
Nucleus Audio Playlist requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Nucleus Audio Playlist last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.0, was released on June 11, 2026 (4 months ago).
Who makes Nucleus Audio Playlist?
Nucleus Audio Playlist is developed and maintained by nucleusdigital.
What are the best alternatives to Nucleus Audio Playlist?
The most popular alternatives to Nucleus Audio Playlist are MP3 Audio Player (20K+ installs), Compact WP Audio Player (20K+ installs) and AudioIgniter Music Player (10K+ installs).
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