Data methodology

Every number on WP Stats traces back to WordPress.org. This page explains exactly where the data comes from, how often it is refreshed, and which figures are measurements versus estimates.

Data sources

WordPress.org Plugin & Theme APIs — installs, downloads, ratings, reviews, support-thread counts, version and compatibility metadata.
WordPress.org plugin directory search — keyword positions are recorded from the live directory search results, the same results users see.
WordPress.org SVN — readme.txt files are read from plugin SVN, so readme analysis works on the real published file, not a lossy copy.

Refresh cadence

Directory data (installs, downloads, ratings, metadata) syncs twice daily.
Tracked keyword positions are recorded daily from live WordPress.org search.
Each plugin page shows a "Refreshed" badge with the actual age of its data.

Measured vs. estimated figures

WordPress.org reports active installs in tiers (10,000+, 30,000+, 100,000+ …), not exact counts. Where we display an estimated install count, it is interpolated from a plugin's overall rank position within its install tier — plugins at the top of the 30,000+ tier sit near the next milestone, plugins at the bottom sit near 30,000. Estimates are labeled as estimates; tier values are shown with a "+".

Keyword position simulations (in the Readme Analyzer) run against our own copy of the directory search index and are calibrated against live positions. They are predictions, not promises, and are labeled as such.

Coverage

We currently track 70,957 WordPress plugins and 28,197 themes, with daily history retained for rankings, downloads and keyword positions.

Corrections

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Tell us — data bugs get fixed at the source so history stays consistent.