Live from WordPress.org · Oct 19, 2026
Best Must Use Plugins for WordPress
1 plugins are tagged “must use” on WordPress.org. We rank them by active installs and score every one on update freshness, compatibility, ratings and support — so you can pick a safe one in seconds. The most popular right now is Mu Manager with 900+ active installs.
| Rank | Plugin | Active installs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mu Manager – Manage mu-plugins like standard plugins
It lets you disable, enable, delete, download, and edit mu-plugins as you do with the…
|
900+ |
How we rank
Popularity first, then a health check you can trust
Plugins are ordered the way WordPress.org ranks them for this category. Next to each one you’ll see its health score, so a popular-but-neglected option never sneaks into your stack.
- 25 Update freshness
- 20 Works with the latest WordPress
- 25 Rating, weighted by review count
- 15 Support threads resolved
- 15 Active installs
Popular plugins categories
FAQ
Quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 19, 2026
What is the most popular must use plugin for WordPress?
Mu Manager – Manage mu-plugins like standard plugins is the most popular must use plugin with 900+ active installs and a 5/5 rating on WordPress.org.
How many must use plugins are on WordPress.org?
There are currently 1 plugins tagged “must use” in the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Are these must use plugins actively maintained?
1 of the top 1 must use plugins were updated in the last 30 days. Check each plugin’s health score for update freshness, WordPress compatibility and support responsiveness.
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