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WP-PostViews

By Lester Chan

Content Management / Blog & Article Publishing

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

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

WP-PostViews Review - In-Depth Analysis

WP-PostViews allows you to display the view count of your posts and pages. It offers easy integration with shortcodes and template tags.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.82/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 65+ reviews)

Active Installations

90,000+

Update Frequency

Below 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

WP-PostViews is a powerful plugin that enables you to display how many times a post or page has been viewed. This feature can enhance user engagement by showing the popularity of your content.

To use the plugin, simply add the provided template tag or shortcode to your theme files or posts. You can customize the display settings from the admin dashboard under the PostViews settings.

This plugin supports multisite network activation, making it a great choice for users managing multiple sites. Regular updates ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress versions and features.

Comparing to Alternatives

WP-PostViews stands alone in its category with no close direct alternatives available, making it a unique choice for users needing a simple post view counter.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and straightforward to use for displaying post views.
Counts views effectively with options to exclude bots and guests.
Lightweight plugin with minimal configuration needed.
Good for users wanting a basic hit counter without complex features.

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced features like unique view counting by IP address.
Compatibility issues with recent WordPress versions and some themes.
No integration support with popular page builders like Elementor.
No official pro version or premium feature set available.

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin holds a solid 4.4-star average from 65 ratings, with most users appreciating its simplicity, though about 12% of ratings are low due to compatibility issues and functionality problems.

Positive highlights

"Awesome. This is the Plugin that I was looking for." — Ahmed Faruk
"Very useful little plugin." — douggeeks
"Useful plugin, but unique view counting by IP would be a great addition." — KR. Laboratories

Common complaints

Does not work with WordPress version 6.5.2.
No longer compatible with some themes, e.g., Corpo.
Stopped working properly with Advanced Queries and Elementor integration.
Views count stops updating correctly after a certain point.

Weaknesses

Limited feature set compared to modern alternatives.
No unique visitor counting, inflating view numbers.
Compatibility issues with latest WordPress and themes.
No ongoing active support or updates evident.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a simple, lightweight plugin to display post views without needing advanced features or integrations.

Not ideal for

Users requiring compatibility with the latest WordPress versions, integration with page builders like Elementor, or advanced analytics features like unique visitor counts.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides basic post view counting and display functionality with simple configuration options.

Final Verdict

WP-PostViews is a straightforward and easy-to-use plugin for displaying post views, appreciated for its simplicity and lightweight design. However, it suffers from compatibility issues with recent WordPress versions and lacks advanced features such as unique visitor counting and integration with popular page builders.

Given the absence of close alternatives and no pro version, it remains a viable option for users with basic needs, but those requiring more robust, updated, and feature-rich solutions may need to look elsewhere or consider potential compatibility challenges.

Other Notable Features

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

Post views

View counter

Postviews

Screenshots

FAQ

Go to WP-Admin -> Appearance -> Widgets
The widget name is Views.

<?php if (function_exists('get_least_viewed')): ?>     <ul>         <?php get_least_viewed(); ?>     </ul> <?php endif; ?>

The first value you pass in is the post type that you want. If you want to get every post types, just use ‘both’. It also supports PHP array: example array('post', 'page').
The second value you pass in is the maximum number of post you want to get.
Default: get_least_viewed(‘both’, 10);

<?php if (function_exists('get_most_viewed')): ?>     <ul>         <?php get_most_viewed(); ?>     </ul> <?php endif; ?>

The first value you pass in is the post type that you want. If you want to get every post types, just use ‘both’. It also supports PHP array: example array('post', 'page').
The second value you pass in is the maximum number of post you want to get.
Default: get_most_viewed(‘both’, 10);

<?php if (function_exists('get_least_viewed_tag')): ?>     <ul>         <?php get_least_viewed_tag(); ?>     </ul> <?php endif; ?>

The first value you pass in is the tag id.
The second value you pass in is the post type that you want. If you want to get every post types, just use ‘both’. It also supports PHP array: example array('post', 'page').
The third value you pass in is the maximum number of post you want to get.
Default: get_least_viewed_tag(1, ‘both’, 10);

<?php if (function_exists('get_most_viewed_tag')): ?>     <ul>         <?php get_most_viewed_tag(); ?>     </ul> <?php endif; ?>

The first value you pass in is the tag id.
The second value you pass in is the post type that you want. If you want to get every post types, just use ‘both’. It also supports PHP array: example array('post', 'page').
The third value you pass in is the maximum number of post you want to get.
Default: get_most_viewed_tag(1, ‘both’, 10);

<?php if (function_exists('get_least_viewed_category')): ?>     <ul>         <?php get_least_viewed_category(); ?>     </ul> <?php endif; ?>

The first value you pass in is the category id.
The second value you pass in is the post type that you want. If you want to get every post types, just use ‘both’. It also supports PHP array: example array('post', 'page').
The third value you pass in is the maximum number of post you want to get.
Default: get_least_viewed_category(1, ‘both’, 10);

<?php if (function_exists('get_most_viewed_category')): ?>     <ul>         <?php get_most_viewed_category(); ?>     </ul> <?php endif; ?>

The first value you pass in is the category id.
The second value you pass in is the post type that you want. If you want to get every post types, just use ‘both’. It also supports PHP array: example array('post', 'page').
The third value you pass in is the maximum number of post you want to get.
Default: get_most_viewed_category(1, ‘both’, 10);

Use: <div id="postviews_lscwp"></div> to replace <?php if(function_exists('the_views')) { the_views(); } ?>.
NOTE: The id can be changed, but the div id and the script must match.

The plugin’s js/wp-postviews-cache.js already posts the view and receives the new count back, so you only need to write that count into your div. Add this to your theme, or to a small script of your own enqueued after wp-postviews-cache:

document.addEventListener( 'postviews:updated', function ( event ) {     const target = document.getElementById( 'postviews_lscwp' );      if ( target ) {         target.textContent = event.detail.views + ' views';     } } );

Purge the cache to use the updated pages.

The screen requires manage_options. The wp_postviews_capability filter is read
wherever that gate is checked, so a different capability opens it to whoever holds one:

add_filter( 'wp_postviews_capability', function () {     return 'edit_others_posts'; } );

Contributors and developers

“WP-PostViews” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Lester Chan

Free Version Docs

WPS

6.82

Average

Ratings

4.4 out of 5 | 65

Version

2.0.1

Last updated

1 month ago

Active installations

90,000+

WordPress version

7.1.3 or higher

PHP version

8.2 or higher

Languages

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WP-PostViews Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (65)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (1)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.82

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