I Recommend This – Love/Like Button for WordPress Posts Review - In-Depth Analysis
Enable visitors to like or recommend your posts with a single click. Enhance engagement without comments.
Performance Overview
User Rating
4.7/5 (based on 38+
reviews)
Active Installations
5,000+
Update Frequency
Average
It is calculated using the weighted average of same category
plugins.
Security Score
1 / 10
(Very Low Risk)
It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.
What It Does
"I Recommend This" allows your visitors to effortlessly like or recommend your posts with a single click, making it easier for them to show their appreciation without leaving a comment. Enhance your site's engagement by providing a simple, user-friendly way for readers to interact with your content.
This plugin features a display counter for likes and recommendations, a widget and shortcode to showcase the most liked posts, and options to customize the appearance with either a "Thumbs Up" or "Heart" icon. It prevents multiple votes from the same user through cookies and IP address tracking, ensuring fair engagement.
Advanced options include hiding the counter if the count is zero, customizing messages for different like counts, and options to disable IP address saving to comply with GDPR. The plugin also supports enhanced cookie management and IP address anonymization for stronger GDPR compliance.
Developers will appreciate the extensive action and filter hooks available, along with built-in query block compatibility. You can easily add the voting link to any page using the provided shortcode.
Comparing to Alternatives
I Recommend This stands out as a simple and effective like/love button plugin for WordPress posts, focusing on minimalism and ease of use compared to other similar plugins.
Strengths
- Minimalistic design with no bloat or jQuery dependencies
- Easy to use and integrate into WordPress sites
- Allows users to express appreciation with love/like buttons
- Lightweight and fast loading
- Customizable CSS for advanced users
Weaknesses
- Limited customization options for symbols, colors, and sizes
- No multiple icon choices available
- Lacks advanced features found in some competitors
- No pro version with extended functionalities
User Sentiment Analysis
User feedback highlights appreciation for the plugin's simplicity and effectiveness, though some desire more customization options.
Positive highlights
- 'Really awesome plugin I love to use on my sites!' - flowdee
- 'Simple but easy-to-use plugin. Keep the good work!!!' - Hung PD
- 'Lean and mean with a minimalistic (and overidable) button/css. Kudos to the developer!' - opicron
- 'Thumbs up and ♥. LOVE IT!' - chocolacaat
- 'Looks great after resolving cache issue.' - johng63jfg
Common complaints
- Limited options for symbols, colors, and sizes
- Desire for more features to enhance customization
Weaknesses
- No variety in button icons
- No advanced customization in free version
- No pro version to unlock additional features
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Users seeking a straightforward, lightweight like/love button plugin without unnecessary complexity or bloat.
Not ideal for
Those wanting extensive customization options, multiple icon choices, or advanced features beyond basic like/love functionality.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The free version offers a simple and effective love/like button for posts with minimal setup and lightweight performance.
Final Verdict
I Recommend This is an excellent choice for users who want a clean, minimalistic love/like button plugin that integrates seamlessly with WordPress posts without adding bloat.
While it lacks extensive customization and advanced features, its simplicity and ease of use make it a reliable option for those prioritizing performance and straightforward functionality.
Other Notable Features
Here are a few other notable features of this free
I Recommend This – Love/Like Button for WordPress Posts plugin.
FAQ
You can customize the look of the recommend button via the plugin settings. Navigate to Settings > I Recommend This in your WordPress dashboard to choose from different heart or thumbs-up icon. You can also disable the plugin’s default CSS and use your own custom styles.
The plugin uses cookies and IP address tracking to prevent multiple recommendations from the same user. These settings can be configured in the plugin’s settings panel.
Yes, you can choose to hide the counter if the count is zero. This option can be found in the plugin’s settings.
You can display the most recommended posts using the [irecommendthis_top_posts] shortcode or the included widget. Customize the attributes of the shortcode to fit your needs.
Yes, the plugin includes options for strong GDPR compliance. You can choose to either disable IP saving completely, or use the new secure IP anonymization feature that transforms IP addresses into irreversible hashes while still preventing duplicate votes.
Yes, the recommend button can be added to any post type. You can use the [irecommendthis] shortcode to place the button on custom post types.
Yes, “I Recommend This” is compatible with most caching plugins. In version 4.0.0, we’ve added specific hooks for cache integration that allow you to automatically clear cached pages when a post’s recommendation count changes.
You can integrate the recommend button directly into your theme by adding the following code to your theme template files:
<?php if ( function_exists( 'irecommendthis' ) ) irecommendthis(); ?>
You can also visit the support center and start a discussion if needed.
Please report security bugs found in the source code through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Program. The Patchstack team will assist you with verification, CVE assignment and take care of notifying the developers of this plugin.
Contributors and developers
“I Recommend This – Love/Like Button for WordPress Posts”
is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.
