WP IRC
Well WP-IRC Plugin (for lack of a better name 😉 ) can fetch the number of users online in any IRC channel and can be scheduled to auto refresh it every x.minutes. The count thus fetched can be displayed in the sidebar…
Consider an alternative
WP IRC shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 13 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 12 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.8 (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 WP IRC stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| irc | #15 |
| sidebar | >100 |
| widget | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About WP IRC
From the official readme · v1.2.1Description
Well WP-IRC Plugin (for lack of a better name 😉 ) can fetch the number of users online in any IRC channel and can be scheduled to auto refresh it every x.minutes. The count thus fetched can be displayed in the sidebar of your blog using a sidebar widget provided by the Plugin.
More details about the Plugin can be found at the Plugins Home page.
Translation
The pot file is available with the Plugin. If you are willing to do translation for the Plugin, use the pot file to create the .po files for your language and let me know. I will add it to the Plugin after giving credit to you.
Development and Support
The development of the Plugin happens over at github. If you want to contribute to the Plugin, fork the project at github and send me a pull request.
If you are not familiar with either git or Github then refer to this guide to see how fork and send pull request.
Support for the Plugin is available from the Plugin’s home page. If you have any questions or suggestions, do leave a comment there or contact me in twitter.
TODO
- Create a settings page where people can test connection
- Add support for shortcode
- Add support for alerts
Stay updated
I would be posting updates about this Plugin in my blog and in Twitter. If you want to be informed when new version of this Plugin is released, then you can either subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed or follow me in Twitter.
Links
Readme Generator
This Readme file was generated using wp-readme, which generates readme files for WordPress Plugins.
Installation
Extract the zip file and just drop the contents in the wp-content/plugins/ directory of your WordPress installation and then activate the Plugin from Plugins page.
After activation, go to the widgets configuration page. You should find the IRC Widget under available widget.
Changelog
v1.2.1 (2014-02-05) (Dev time: 0.5 hours)
- Tweak: Update Screenshots
- Tweak: Add ‘#’ in front of channel if it is not present
v1.2 (2013-02-21) (Dev time: 0.5 hours)
- Check if users is an array to prevent PHP warning
v1.1 (2013-02-17) (by Paul Freund)
- Improved IRC connection (including implementing RFC2812 specifications)
- [users] tag prints online users
- Verbose mode to join channel (to see invisible users),
- Password now works
v1.0 (2013-01-21) (Dev time: 20 hours)
- Complete rewrite and added support for AJAX with caching
v0.2 (2012-01-31)
- Fixed issue with textarea in the widget
v0.1 (2009-07-29)
- Initial Version
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
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Best WP IRC alternatives
All irc plugins →
FAQ
WP IRC: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 2, 2026
Is WP IRC free?
Yes. WP IRC is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP IRC safe to use in 2026?
WP IRC shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 13 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP IRC?
WP IRC is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 8,124 times since it launched in July 2009. It was downloaded 46 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP IRC work with WordPress 7.1?
WP IRC is officially tested up to WordPress 3.8.41, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was WP IRC last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.1, was released on February 5, 2014 (13 years ago).
Who makes WP IRC?
WP IRC is developed and maintained by Sudar Muthu.
What are the best alternatives to WP IRC?
The most popular alternatives to WP IRC are ChatHispano (40+ installs), App LiberaChat (20+ installs) and Anti Hacking Tools (20+ installs).
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