How to assess the quality of a WordPress Plugin free ?

Whether you're a developer who likes coding or you're a " implementor which seeks to create high quality websites without wasting a lot of time, at some point you will need the WordPress plugins to go faster.

Sometimes there is no need to manually add popups on your landing pages. With so many plugins, why spend your time coding this feature from scratch, when someone else has already done it for you?

Admittedly, there are always problems of costs to be feared, although all the high quality and useful plugins are not expensive. In fact, many of the most popular and commonly used plugins are free (Think of : jetpack , Akismet and W3 Total Cache).

The only problem with saying that free plugins are all as good as premium plugins ... well, that's not always an accurate claim.

So how do you know when a free plugin can be trusted?

Are free plugins better than freemiums?

And what free plugins do you need to use without going overboard on your WordPress website?

We're going to cover all of these points as we look at what to look for when choosing WordPress plugins free.

But before, if you have never installed WordPress discover How to Install a WordPress Blog in 7 Steps et How to search, install and activate a WordPress theme on your blog 

Then back to why we are here.

How to determine the quality of a free plugin

If you're still with me and want to know the secret to determining the quality of a free WordPress plugin… It's not really a secret. Most of the information you need to determine the quality of a plugin can be found in one place. Let me show it to you:

Access the directory of WordPress plugins. Next, search for the Akismet plugin.

#1. Last update

This is one of the most useful pieces of data that WordPress includes in its plugin repository, as it lets you know how diligent a developer is about updating their plugin.

Go further by discovering How to force WordPress to check for plugin updates

Realistically, that number should exceed a few months, although you can probably give them wiggle room for up to a year if the plugin isn't complex and doesn't need a lot of work.

# 2. Compatibility with WordPress

 

The number here refers to the version of WordPress the plugin was tested on. So, this is another reason why the latest updated information is important.

Basically, you want to know that the developer keeps the updated plugin because they detect problems related to it, while synergizing it with patches or updates published on the WordPress kernel.

# 3. Active installations

appreciate the quality of a free WordPress plugin

While there are new plugins that are as reliable as the older ones, it is always good to have social proof that the plugin is working well before using it (unless you know the developer or have heard good things about the plugin).

See also: 10 WordPress plugins to optimize your blog

My rule of thumb here is that there should be a few thousand installs with at least 100 reviews under their belt before downloading.

# 4. Ratings

appreciate the quality of a free WordPress plugin

If you scroll down, you will be able to see the ratings widget. You can see the average star rating as well as the number of users who voted for each rating.

Also read our article on How to turn your love for WordPress into real business

Ideally, you should pass anything that has less than 4,5 stars. Also, take into account how many people have rated it. If you observe less than 100 users, it would be hard to tell that the reviews are honest.

# 5. view

appreciate the quality of a free WordPress plugin

Click on the link " View all In the ratings widget and you can open different comments. (You can also click on the Ratings tab at the top of the plugin page.) The first page will show you a currently displayed list of stars and the name of the rating, but if you click on one of them. 'them, you can see the full notice as well.

See also our 10 WordPress plugins to collect user reviews

This is good for checking reliability issues, security breaches, and anything else you might be concerned about.

There are several actions that must be taken to reassure you of the quality of the plugin, but these are the prerequisite. If you have solutions, do not hesitate to share them with us.

Discover also some premium WordPress plugins  

You can use other WordPress plugins to give a modern look and optimize the grip of your blog or website.

We offer you here some premium WordPress plugins that will help you do that.

1. Ultimate Affiliate Pro

Let's start with the WordPress Plugin premium Ultimate Affiliate Pro which is easily one of the most robust affiliate program WordPress plugins since it integrates with WooCommerce plugins, Easy Digital Downloads, PayPal and Stripe. It offers a set of professional features that make it easy to create your own affiliate program.

Ultimate affiliate pro wordpress plugin

There you will find all kinds of useful features such as: a performance bonus and banner management, support for an unlimited number of affiliates and special offers, rankings and commission levels, referrals and shares on social networks, support for PayPal payments, Stripe and much more.

See also our list of 50 best WooCommerce plugins to enhance your online store

If all that was not impressive enough, you should know that it also has a few templates for login page, sign up, free account, and connect with top email marketing providers such as MailChimp , Constant Contact and many others.

Discover our article on How to display recent articles in a specific category

It is one of the best plugins WooCommerce premium affiliation that you will find on Envato Market.

Download | Demo | Web hosting

2. How Slider for Facebook

How Slider for Facebook is a WordPress Plugin premium that offers visitors the option to leave comments on your website. Along with this modern and non-intrusive comment box, this WordPress plugin provides a Like Box and Fan Page Wall functionality that will extend your website's integration with Facebook social network.

WordPress plugins to manage comments - Comment slider for facebook wordpress social wordpress plugin

The plugin also provides various functionalities to extend the capacities of your website: It has for example a Like section (“Like Box”) or a page dedicated to fans (“Fan Page Wall).

See also How to gradually load Facebook and Disqus comments

You don't need to embed "Like" and "Share" buttons on posts or pages, because Facebook Comment Slider already has them and they can appear on any post or page. Visitors will find the "Like" button, the "Share" button and the Facebook slider comments box. They will obviously use their Facebook accounts.

Besides, you can turn on, off and set the time of the shake effect.

Download | Demo | Web hosting

3. Essential Grid

Essential Grid is a premium plugin of WordPress which allows you to display different formats of content on a highly customizable grid. Possible applications of this plugin are portfolios, blogs, galleries, online shops WooCommerce, price lists, services, product sliders, and many more.

Essential grid gallery wordpress plugin

Its features are: super easy to use for beginners, management of rows / columns / spacings adjustable as you wish, support for images, YouTube and Vimeo videos, iFrame content, various types of entertainment and preloads, responsive and compatible with mobiles, layouts in wide shot, crop shot, or full screen and many more.

Download | Demo | Web hosting

Other recommended resources

We also invite you to consult the resources below to go further in the grip and control of your website and blog.

Conclusion

Here is ! That's it for this tutorial. We hope that it will allow you to better understand how to appreciate the quality of a free WordPress plugin.

However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation or the one on Divi: the best WordPress theme of all time.

If you have some Comments or suggestions, do not hesitate to let us know in the reserved section But in the meantime, share this article on your different social networks  ...