Plugin profile · observed daily since 02 Aug 2026
Monster Widget
Active installs700+ rounded
Current authorAutomattic
Owner changesNone while we have been watching
Last release8.5 years ago 10 Nov 2017
Support— no recent threads
Releases on record1
Rating5.0 /5 · 8
Added to directory15 May 2012
Requires WP3.2.0
Requires PHPfalse
Version lag2.2 behind
Tested up toWP 4.9.31 WordPress is now on 7.1
PluginPedia reports published data and observable changes. It does not rate plugin quality or safety, infer intent, or make recommendations. These are observations rather than a verdict. How this works
Ownership
Held by Automattic throughout, with no change of ownership observed since daily tracking began on 02 Aug 2026.
Adoption
How widely the plugin is installed, and what the people running it think of it. WordPress.org rounds install figures to one significant digit, so they describe an order of magnitude rather than a headcount.
Small but established: 700+ active installs. Enough sites to show it works in the wild, too few for adoption to say much on its own.
6 downloads a day over the last 7 days, falling 25% against the 7 days before. Downloads are counted exactly and without a ceiling, so they show movement the rounded install figure cannot.
08 Aug 2026peak 16/day31 Aug 2026
Install band fell to 700+ on 06 Aug 2026, from 800+. Both figures are rounded to one significant digit, so the size of the change is not knowable from them.
Daily record
Every field we record, one column per observation. Fields that never moved are named once rather than repeated across every column. A row of identical numbers would be padding.
| Field | 18 Aug | 19 Aug | 20 Aug | 21 Aug | 22 Aug | 23 Aug | 24 Aug | 25 Aug | 26 Aug | 27 Aug | 28 Aug | 29 Aug | 30 Aug | 31 Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downloads that day | — | 11 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Unchanged throughout: ratings total (8) · active installs (700+) · version (0.3) · support threads (0) · threads resolved (0)
30 days of observation, most recent 14 shown.
Maintenance
When it was last released, and how far its declared compatibility has drifted from current WordPress.
Added to directory14 years ago 15 May 2012
Requires WP3.2.0
Requires PHPfalse
Version lag2.2 behind
Is anyone still maintaining this?
- No release in 3,217 days (8.8 years). The last was 10 Nov 2017.
- Declares compatibility only up to WordPress 4.9.31, while 7.1 is current. The author has not confirmed it runs on the last 22 releases.
- The same account maintains 77 other plugins, 33 of which were updated in the last 90 days. the account is active.
A plugin that does one thing correctly may need no changes for years; a long gap is not, by itself, evidence of neglect.
History
Everything dated that this registry holds about the plugin, most recent first. Releases carry the author’s own release date; everything else is dated to when it was observed.
- 02 Aug 202630 days agoInstall band moved to 800+Bands are rounded to one significant digit, so the size of the change is not knowable.
- 02 Aug 202630 days agoFirst observed by PluginPediaDaily snapshots of this plugin’s directory record begin here. Everything above this line is observed; anything before it comes from fields the API itself reports.
- 04 May 20197 years agoDormancy threshold crossed540 days since the last release (2017-11-10). Dormancy is a maintenance observation, not a judgement about the owner.
- 10 Nov 20178.5 years agoVersion 0.3 released
- 15 May 201214 years agoAdded to the WordPress.org directoryReported by the plugin API as the date this plugin was added.
What we know, and what we don’t
Everything on this page in one place, including the gaps, so that nothing here is mistaken for a clean bill of health.
What we know
- It has been held by Automattic for all 30 days we have observed it.
- It was last released 8.5 years ago (10 Nov 2017).
- Its author declares it tested up to WordPress 4.9.31; WordPress is now on 7.1.
- WordPress.org reports 700+ active installs.
- It carries 8 ratings, averaging 5.0 out of 5.
What we don’t know yet
- No forum threads were open in the two months we measure, so how responsive its support is cannot be said. One new thread starts answering that.
What can’t be known
- Whether the quiet is neglect or a finished plugin. That is the author’s intent, which no dataset records, and a stable plugin can need no changes for years.
Every record on this site, this one included, works under the same limits. We read what WordPress.org publishes about a plugin, never the plugin’s own code, so nothing here says whether a plugin is well built or safe. Install counts reach us already rounded; a change smaller than a band step doesn’t show. We don’t track security advisories yet. For anything older than our first observation we rely on the plugin’s public release log, where one exists. What this registry can and cannot see
Similar plugins
This plugin has not been updated in a long time. These carry the same tags and describe themselves in the same terms, so they are a starting point for a replacement, not a recommendation. Check them yourself.
Code Profiler – WordPress Performance Profiling and Debugging Made Easy
A profiler to measure the performance of your WordPress plugins and themes.
8,000+ installs4.3★ (35)updated 16 Aug 2026
11× the installs
Compare side by side WP Safe Mode
Disable plugins or switch themes for just you or the whole site for debugging, troubleshooting or accessing and restoring a broken website.
2,000+ installs4.3★ (8)updated 23 May 2026
Compare side by side Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin
Display new sidebars on any post, page, category etc. Works with Classic Widgets, Block Widgets, and all themes!
30,000+ installs4.9★ (724)updated 09 Dec 2025
43× the installs
Compare side by side What Template Am I Using
This plugin is intended for theme developers to use. It shows the current template being used to render the page, current post type, and much more.
90+ installs4.8★ (13)updated 08 Dec 2015
no release in over 18 months
Compare side by side Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget
Display any RSS feed(s) in widget with news ticker effect in multiple tabs, thumbnails, customizable color themes and more.
9,000+ installs4.6★ (66)updated 02 Aug 2026
13× the installs
Compare side by side Developer Debug Tools
Lots of debugging and testing tools for developers.
100+ installs5.0★ (4)updated 11 Jun 2026
Compare side by side Grouped from the tags each author chose for their own plugin, so the grouping is only as good as those tags.
Reach out about this record
Corrections, missing context, or anything else about Monster Widget: a person reads every submission, and corrections get a reply within 5 business days.