Write First
Return to the blogging philosophy of WordPress – ditch the Dashboard and get writing as soon as you log in.
Consider an alternative
Write First shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 30/100 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 3.6 (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 Write First stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| blogging | >100 |
| dashboard | >100 |
| writing | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Write First
From the official readme · v1.0.1Description
Return to the blogging philosophy of WordPress – ditch the Dashboard and get writing as soon as you log in.
Installation
Same as always, folks – you can download the ZIP and install via WordPress Plugins page – or, much more simply, download direct from the WP.org repository.
Updating
Update from your friendly neighborhood WordPress.org repository. I don’t envision many updates, the plugin is incredibly simple.
Changelog
None yet.
1.0.1
- Removes end tags. Props Lee Willis
- Changes file name to reflect folder name. Props nacin.
1.0
Initial commit. I don’t anticipate many updates.
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 Write First alternatives
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FAQ
Write First: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 9, 2026
Is Write First free?
Yes. Write First is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Write First safe to use in 2026?
Write First shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 30/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Write First?
Write First is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,965 times since it launched in March 2013. It was downloaded 41 times in the last 30 days.
Does Write First work with WordPress 7.1?
Write First is officially tested up to WordPress 3.6.1, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Write First last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.1, was released on March 4, 2013 (14 years ago).
Who makes Write First?
Write First is developed and maintained by Justin Sainton.
What are the best alternatives to Write First?
The most popular alternatives to Write First are Easy Footnotes (8K+ installs), Clariti (1K+ installs) and Ghost (500+ installs).
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