th23 Specials
Customize your WordPress website even more to your needs via simple admin settings instead of code modifications.
Consider an alternative
th23 Specials shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Was last updated 1 year ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.8 (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 th23 Specials stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| essentials | >100 |
| filter | >100 |
| header | >100 |
| smtp | >100 |
About th23 Specials
From the official readme · v6.0.3Description
Customize your WordPress website even more to your needs via simple admin settings instead of code modifications.
Setting up new websites from time to time I realized, that I keep using similar sets of modifications over and over again. This plugin gives you a wide range of modifications at hand without any core or theme code changes – making them persistent across updates or switching to another theme.
th23 Specials core features include (all available as options in admin dashboard):
- Mail sending via SMTP server instead of default PHP mail function – and with custom subject prefix
- Revision and edit restrictions for posts and pages
- Highlighting in titles of posts and pages – for custom styling via theme
- Category selection via radio button, forcing single category assignment and option to restrict available categories – via Classic and Gutenberg / Block editor
- Excerpts for pages
- Sticky posts also sticky on archive pages
- Disabling author links and archives
- Enforcing usage of more tag / block / separator in posts and pages – preventing too long full text display on home and overview pages
- Disable various headers – core version info, links, jQuery Migrate, inline CSS, emojis, oEmbed, legacy contact options
Usage
Simply install plugin and choose customizations required from the plugin settings page. Few options involve further actions to achieve required result – see below and FAQ section for more details.
For highlighting in post / page titles, put part to highlight in between *matching stars* in the editor. This part will be enclosed by <span></span> tags in the HTML on the frontend, allowing styling by theme via the CSS selector .entry-title span.
NOTE
Some options change important core functionality of WordPress – make sure you properly test your website before usage in production environment!
Installation
For a manual installation upload extracted th23-specials folder to your wp-content/plugins directory.
The plugin is configured via its settings page in the admin area. Find all options under Settings -> th23 Specials. The options come with a description of the setting and its behavior directly next to the respective settings field.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a way to identify existing posts / pages that do not comply with the one category only requirement or that are missing the “read more” block / tag?
Yes, there are links in the descriptions on the th23 Specials settings page, next to the respective option to search for “non-compliant” posts / pages. Upon a click on this link you will see all currently non-compliant posts / pages. You can modify these by clicking on their titles, which loads them into your default editor.
Some settings seem to have no effect – eg oEmbed features are still active depsite deactivated?
This might be happening as some options can be “overruled” by settings by your theme. For settings that might be affected, please see the description on the settings page. To change such settings, please check your active theme and adjust them there, if required.
Changelog
n/a
v6.0.3
- fix: upgrade to th23 Admin class 1.7.0, removing some inconsistencies
v6.0.2
- enhancement: upgrade to th23 Plugin Info class 1.0.0
- fix: upgrade to th23 Admin class 1.6.2
v6.0.1
- fix: update th23 Admin class to v1.6.1
- fix: typos and wording adjustments
v6.0.0
- n/a: first public release
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
th23 Specials: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 2, 2026
Is th23 Specials free?
Yes. th23 Specials is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is th23 Specials safe to use in 2026?
th23 Specials shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Was last updated 1 year ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
How many websites use th23 Specials?
th23 Specials is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 473 times since it launched in May 2025. It was downloaded 34 times in the last 30 days.
Does th23 Specials work with WordPress 7.1?
th23 Specials is officially tested up to WordPress 6.8.10, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does th23 Specials need?
th23 Specials requires PHP 8.0 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was th23 Specials last updated?
The latest version, 6.0.3, was released on May 3, 2025 (1 year ago).
Who makes th23 Specials?
th23 Specials is developed and maintained by th23.
What are the best alternatives to th23 Specials?
The most popular alternatives to th23 Specials are WPDevDesign (500+ installs), axanet Tools (10+ installs) and Surplus Essentials (10+ installs).
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