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WP-Polls

By Lester Chan

Community & Social /

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

WP-Polls Review - In-Depth Analysis

WP-Polls adds an AJAX poll system to your WordPress blog. Customize polls with templates and CSS styles. Supports multiple answer selections.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.09/10

User Rating

4.2/5 (based on 136+ reviews)

Active Installations

40,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

6.73 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

WP-Polls is a powerful tool for adding polls to your WordPress site. It is highly customizable, allowing you to modify templates and CSS styles to fit your needs. With a variety of options available, you can ensure that WP-Polls operates exactly as you want.

This plugin also supports multiple selections of answers, making it easier for your audience to engage with your content. Whether you are looking to gather opinions or create interactive content, WP-Polls provides the functionality you need.

Feel free to use WP-Polls without any obligations, though donations are appreciated to support ongoing development and maintenance.

Comparing to Alternatives

WP-Polls is a popular polling plugin with a solid feature set, but it faces competition from a few notable alternatives in the WordPress ecosystem.

Top alternatives

Democracy Poll ( WPS: 6.98)

Strengths

Easy to use with a straightforward setup process
Highly customizable appearance via HTML and CSS
Supports unlimited answers per poll
Active development with recent security fixes
Good for simple polling needs

Weaknesses

Compatibility issues with some caching solutions like Cloudflare
Only supports one question per poll
Limited advanced features compared to some alternatives
Security history includes multiple vulnerabilities, requiring updates

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of positive reviews (over 79% are 4 or 5 stars), users appreciate the plugin's ease of use and customization options. Negative reviews are minimal and do not highlight major functional issues.

Positive highlights

"Love the feature set, easy to use, great to work with" - expirator
"Excellent, easy going plugin" - redima
"Perfect for those familiar with HTML and CSS for customization" - Zeljko Jagust
"Allows unlimited answers per poll" - astrodates
"Simple and customizable with a long history of use" - Dani

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Issues with caching compatibility, especially with Cloudflare
Only one question allowed per poll
Recent admin interface changes affecting vote visibility
Requires some HTML/CSS knowledge for advanced customization

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a simple, customizable polling plugin that integrates well with their WordPress site and who are comfortable with basic HTML/CSS for styling.

Not ideal for

Those needing multi-question polls, seamless caching compatibility, or advanced polling features might find this plugin limiting. Also, users concerned about security should ensure they keep the plugin updated.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a comprehensive polling solution with unlimited answers, customizable appearance, and basic poll management features.

Final Verdict

WP-Polls is a well-established plugin that delivers a solid polling experience with strong customization options and ease of use. Its free offering is robust, making it a good choice for users with straightforward polling needs who can manage some technical customization.

However, users should be aware of its limitations such as single-question polls, caching conflicts, and a history of security vulnerabilities that have been addressed in updates. Those needing advanced features or enhanced security might consider alternatives like Democracy Poll.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free WP-Polls plugin.

ajax poll system

customizable polls

polling plugin

Screenshots

FAQ

<?php if ( function_exists( 'vote_poll' ) && ! in_pollarchive() ): ?>     <li>         <h2>Polls</h2>         <ul>             <li><?php get_poll();?></li>         </ul>         <?php display_polls_archive_link(); ?>     </li> <?php endif; ?>

To show specific poll, use <?php get_poll(2); ?> where 2 is your poll id.
To show random poll, use <?php get_poll(-2); ?>
To embed a specific poll in your post, use [poll id="2"] where 2 is your poll id.
To embed a random poll in your post, use [poll id="-2"]
To embed a specific poll’s result in your post, use [poll id="2" type="result"] where 2 is your poll id.

Courtesy Of TreedBox.com
Set --wp-polls-bar-background on the answer rather than styling the bar itself. The bar reads that custom property, so this works whichever poll bar style is configured, and it keeps working if the markup changes again.
Add to the end of your wp-polls.css:

.wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(01) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #8fa0c5; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(02) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #ffff88; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(03) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #ff8a3b; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(04) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #a61e2a; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(05) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #4ebbff; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(06) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #fbca54; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(07) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #aad34f; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(08) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #66cc9a; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(09) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #98cbcb; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(10) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #a67c52; } .wp-polls-ul li:hover { --wp-polls-bar-background: #ff0000; } .wp-polls .wp-polls-bar-fill { transition: background-color 0.7s ease-in-out; }

Before 3.0.0 this was written against .pollbar, the single element the bar used to
be. That class no longer exists, so the old snippet colours nothing.

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_pollquestions' ) ): ?>     <?php get_pollquestions(); ?> <?php endif; ?>

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_pollanswers' ) ): ?>     <?php get_pollanswers(); ?> <?php endif; ?>

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_pollvotes' ) ): ?>     <?php get_pollvotes(); ?> <?php endif; ?>

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_pollvotes_by_id' ) ): ?>     <?php get_pollvotes_by_id($poll_id); ?> <?php endif; ?>

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_pollvoters' ) ): ?>     <?php get_pollvoters(); ?> <?php endif; ?>

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_polltime' ) ): ?>     <?php get_polltime( $poll_id, $date_format ); ?> <?php endif; ?>

The plugin templates can be translated via template variables.
There are these filters for the custom template variables

wp_polls_template_votebody_variables wp_polls_template_votefooter wp_polls_template_resultheader_variables wp_polls_template_resultbody_variables wp_polls_template_resultfooter_variables

Add filter to your theme and register custom variable where you will add your translation.
Good practice is to name them for example with prefix STR_ in the example STR_TOTAL_VOTERS.

    /**      * Localize wp_polls_template_resultfooter_variables.      *      * @param array $variables An array of template variables.      * @return array $variables Modified template variables.      */     function wp_polls_template_resultfooter_variables( $variables ) {          // Add strings.         $variables['%STR_TOTAL_VOTERS%'] = __( 'Total voters', 'theme-textdomain' );          return $variables;     }  // Trigger the filter add_filter( 'wp_polls_template_resultfooter_variables', 'wp_polls_template_resultfooter_variables' , 10, 1 );

In the admin side just call the custom variable like so and the variable has been translated in the front-end.
%STR_TOTAL_VOTERS%’

WordPress is behind a proxy or a CDN and every request reaches it from the proxy’s
address. Name the header your proxy sets under Settings -> Header That Contains
The IP — HTTP_CF_CONNECTING_IP for Cloudflare — or, to trust the usual set of
proxy headers without naming one, add this to wp-config.php:

define( 'WP_POLLS_TRUST_PROXY', true );

Sites that need to decide per request can use the wp_polls_trust_proxy filter, which
defaults to that constant.

3.0.0 rebuilt the poll bar. It used to be one <div class="pollbar"> sized by an
inline width; it is now a track holding a fill:

<div class="wp-polls-bar" aria-hidden="true"><div class="wp-polls-bar-fill" style="width: 42%;"></div></div>

The Result Body and Result Body (Voted) templates are rewritten to that markup
on upgrade, including customised ones. There was no way to keep them: the class names
and the stylesheet changed with the markup, so a customised copy of the old template
would have rendered a bar with no rules left to match it. Re-apply your changes on
the Templates tab, keeping the two wp-polls-bar elements.

If you re-add a bar by hand, use %POLL_ANSWER_PERCENTAGE% for the width.
%POLL_ANSWER_IMAGEWIDTH% was removed in 3.0.0 and is no longer substituted, so a
template still containing it emits the literal token into the style attribute and
the bar renders with no width at all.

If your theme ships its own wp-polls.css, the bar rules are not in it — they used to
be generated by PHP into an inline <style> block, and they now live in the plugin’s
stylesheet. Either copy the .wp-polls-bar rules across, or delete your copy and
override these instead, which is the supported way now:

.wp-polls {     --wp-polls-bar-height: 8px;     --wp-polls-bar-background: #d8e1eb;     --wp-polls-bar-border: #c8c8c8;     --wp-polls-bar-radius: 3px; }

Courtesy Of TreedBox.com
Set --wp-polls-bar-background on the answer rather than styling the bar itself. The bar reads that custom property, so this works whichever poll bar style is configured, and it keeps working if the markup changes again.
Add to the end of your wp-polls.css:

.wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(01) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #8fa0c5; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(02) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #ffff88; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(03) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #ff8a3b; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(04) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #a61e2a; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(05) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #4ebbff; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(06) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #fbca54; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(07) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #aad34f; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(08) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #66cc9a; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(09) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #98cbcb; } .wp-polls-ul li:nth-child(10) { --wp-polls-bar-background: #a67c52; } .wp-polls-ul li:hover { --wp-polls-bar-background: #ff0000; } .wp-polls .wp-polls-bar-fill { transition: background-color 0.7s ease-in-out; }

Before 3.0.0 this was written against .pollbar, the single element the bar used to
be. That class no longer exists, so the old snippet colours nothing.

The head pass looks for the poll widget, a [poll] or [page_polls] shortcode and
the two blocks, and anything rendering after it — a template tag, a poll in a loop
page — asks for the assets as it renders and gets them from the footer.

Neither reaches poll markup fetched over admin-ajax.php or the REST API into a page
that itself shows no poll: the fetch has no footer to enqueue into, and the page
carried nothing for the head to find. The symptom is a poll that will not vote, under
a “Loading …” that never goes away.

Say so from the page that will hold the poll:

add_filter( 'wp_polls_needs_assets', '__return_true' );

Anywhere the poll can be predicted this early will do. Code that already runs later
in the page — a the_content filter inserting a placeholder, say — can call
WP_Polls_Display::request_assets() instead, which is the same request the render
paths make and is picked up by the footer pass.