Posts Page: Use Page Template
When setting the ‘Posts Page:’ to a custom page within the ‘Reading’ settings of WordPress, it will by default, ignore that page’s set template.
Consider an alternative
Posts Page: Use Page Template shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 40+ sites, is rated 3/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 25/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (40+ active installs)
- Low rating so far — 3/5 from only 4 reviews
- No update in 13 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.5 (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 Posts Page: Use Page Templa… stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| custom template | >100 |
| posts page | >100 |
| reading | >100 |
| settings | >100 |
| templates | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 3 from 4 reviews
About Posts Page: Use Page Template
From the official readme · v1.0Description
When setting the ‘Posts Page:’ to a custom page within the ‘Reading’ settings of WordPress, it will by default, ignore that page’s set template.
“Posts page – Select in the drop-down box the name of the Page that will now contain your Posts… any Template assigned the Page will be ignored and the theme’s index.php (or home.php if it exists) will control the display of the posts.”
Reference: https://codex.wordpress.org/Settings_Reading_SubPanel
Plugin resolves the above issue, allowing WordPress to use the custom template set for that specific page.
Arbitrary section
A brief Markdown Example
Installation
- Upload
plugin-name.phpto the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
For developers
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FAQ
Posts Page: Use Page Template: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 2, 2026
Is Posts Page: Use Page Template free?
Yes. Posts Page: Use Page Template is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Posts Page: Use Page Template safe to use in 2026?
Posts Page: Use Page Template shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 40+ sites, is rated 3/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 25/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Posts Page: Use Page Template?
Posts Page: Use Page Template is active on 40+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 5,495 times since it launched in March 2013. It was downloaded 107 times in the last 30 days.
Does Posts Page: Use Page Template work with WordPress 7.1?
Posts Page: Use Page Template is officially tested up to WordPress 3.5.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Posts Page: Use Page Template last updated?
The latest version, 1.0, was released on March 9, 2013 (14 years ago).
Who makes Posts Page: Use Page Template?
Posts Page: Use Page Template is developed and maintained by ballyhoos.
What are the best alternatives to Posts Page: Use Page Template?
The most popular alternatives to Posts Page: Use Page Template are Custom Category Templates (3K+ installs), Custom Category Template (1K+ installs) and Post Template (400+ installs).
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