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
4,000+
Update Frequency
Average
It is calculated using the weighted average of same category
plugins.
Security Score
5.1 / 10
(Medium 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 has no close direct alternatives in its category, making it a unique choice for adding love/like buttons to WordPress posts.
Strengths
- Simple and easy to set up and use
- Enhances reader interaction without comments
- Minimalistic design with no bloat or jQuery dependency
- Reliable and well-maintained with recent security fixes
- Positive user feedback highlights its effectiveness
Weaknesses
- Limited customization options for symbols, colors, and sizes
- No pro version or advanced features available
- Security history includes past vulnerabilities, though fixed in recent updates
User Sentiment Analysis
With a high rating of 4.7 out of 5 from 38 users, the plugin enjoys overwhelmingly positive feedback, with very few complaints.
Positive highlights
- Simple and effective setup praised by Alison
- Minimalistic and no bloat appreciated by opicron
- Loved by flowdee for its ease of use
- Useful and easy-to-use according to Hung PD
- Nice plugin but could use more customization as noted by tizianopitisci
Weaknesses
- Lacks advanced customization options
- No visible backend interface for the button
- No pro version to unlock additional features
- Past security vulnerabilities, though resolved
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Users seeking a straightforward, lightweight plugin to add a love/like button to WordPress posts without complicated setup or bloat.
Not ideal for
Those wanting extensive customization options, multiple icon choices, or advanced features may find this plugin limiting. Also, users concerned about past security issues should ensure they use the latest version.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The free version offers a simple, effective love/like button with minimal setup and no added bloat.
Final Verdict
I Recommend This is a well-liked plugin that delivers a simple and effective way to add love/like buttons to WordPress posts. Its minimalistic design and ease of use make it a great choice for users who want straightforward functionality without unnecessary complexity.
While it lacks advanced customization and a pro version, and has a history of security vulnerabilities that have been addressed, it remains a solid option for those prioritizing simplicity and user engagement. Users should ensure they keep the plugin updated to benefit from security fixes.
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.
