Popular Posts
Popular Posts displays a list of your blog’s most-viewed posts. The output can be customised in many ways.
Consider an alternative
Popular Posts shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 800+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (800+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 8 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 2.6 (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 Popular Posts stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| best | >100 |
| most-viewed | >100 |
| popular | >100 |
| popular posts | >100 |
| posts | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Popular Posts
From the official readme · v2.6.2.0Description
Popular Posts displays a list of your blog’s most-viewed posts. The output can be customised in many ways.
This plugin requires the latest version of the Post-Plugin Library: download it now.
Version History
- 2.6.2.0
- first release — numbered to match family of post-plugins
Installation
-
IMPORTANT! If you are upgrading from a previous version first deactivate the plugin, then delete the plugin folder from your server.
-
Upload the plugin folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ folder. If you haven’t already you should also install the Post-Plugin Library>.
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Go to the Plugins page and activate the plugin.
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Put
<?php popular_posts(); ?>at the place in your template where you want the list to appear or use the plugin as a widget. -
Use the Options/Settings page to adjust the behaviour of the plugin.
My web site has full instructions and information on customisation.
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 Popular Posts alternatives
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FAQ
Popular Posts: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
Is Popular Posts free?
Yes. Popular Posts is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Popular Posts safe to use in 2026?
Popular Posts shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 800+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Popular Posts?
Popular Posts is active on 800+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 84,489 times since it launched in September 2008. It was downloaded 100 times in the last 30 days.
Does Popular Posts work with WordPress 7.1?
Popular Posts is officially tested up to WordPress 2.6.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Popular Posts last updated?
The latest version, 2.6.2.0, was released on November 28, 2017 (9 years ago).
Who makes Popular Posts?
Popular Posts is developed and maintained by RobMarsh.
What are the best alternatives to Popular Posts?
The most popular alternatives to Popular Posts are Reservit Hotel (300+ installs), WP Sequence Slider (20+ installs) and cool Popular Post (10+ installs).
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