WP Client Reference
It’s common practice for digital agencies to build a WordPress site/theme then simply hand it off to the client for day-to-day updating. The developers work hard to strike a balance between replicating the designer’s…
Consider an alternative
WP Client Reference shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 27/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 13 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.3 (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 WP Client Reference stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| Client | >100 |
| help | >100 |
| knowledgebase | >100 |
| reference | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4 from 4 reviews
About WP Client Reference
From the official readme · v0.42Description
It’s common practice for digital agencies to build a WordPress site/theme then simply hand it off to the client for day-to-day updating. The developers work hard to strike a balance between replicating the designer’s vision and making the theme easy for the client to use. As the design becomes more complex the developer faces questions: Will the client remember to wrap this in a <blockquote>? Can we count on the content manager remembering to add class="btn" to that link?
It can be equally frustrating from the client side. You don’t want to deal with learning HTML but you want your content to look just as well formatted as the stuff the agency put in at launch. The agency sent over a formatting/style guide but it never seems to be around when you need it.
WP Client Reference attempts to solve these problems by embedding client documentation directly into WordPress. Now agencies can include style guides, tutorials, FAQs, and more without worrying about content managers on the client side not knowing how to format that complicated call-to-action. It’s also useful for any type of team to keep track of information (with versioning) right within WordPress.
Special Thanks
Thank you to duckgoesoink for catching the Knowledgebase/User conflict fixed in 0.41.
Installation
- Upload the
wp-client-referenceplugin directory to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate the plugin
- (Optional) Adjust the plugin settings on the “Options” page under the “Help Articles” menu item
Changelog
0.42
- Fixed path issues with
WPClientReference::get_template_url()when loading static assets from {THEME}/wpclientref-views/ (Issue #3). Special thanks to Chris VanPatten for tracking this down!
0.41
- Fixed issue with default ‘Knowledgebase’ position preventing access to Users menu (special thanks to duckgoesoink)
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 WP Client Reference alternatives
All Client plugins →
FAQ
WP Client Reference: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 27, 2026
Is WP Client Reference free?
Yes. WP Client Reference is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP Client Reference safe to use in 2026?
WP Client Reference shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 4/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 27/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP Client Reference?
WP Client Reference is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,386 times since it launched in January 2012. It was downloaded 35 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP Client Reference work with WordPress 7.1?
WP Client Reference is officially tested up to WordPress 3.3.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was WP Client Reference last updated?
The latest version, 0.42, was released on October 5, 2012 (14 years ago).
Who makes WP Client Reference?
WP Client Reference is developed and maintained by Steve Grunwell.
What are the best alternatives to WP Client Reference?
The most popular alternatives to WP Client Reference are reBusted! (6K+ installs), Simple Client Dashboard (2K+ installs) and Ultimate Client Dash (2K+ installs).
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