Placeholder it vs What The File
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
What The File leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #890, ahead of Placeholder it at #44,646. Over the last 7 days What The File slipped 3 places and Placeholder it slipped 6,994 places. What The File has the largest install base, roughly 4000× the next: 40K+ active installs against 10+ for Placeholder it. Downloads this week: What The File 1,670 and Placeholder it 12.
| Metric | Placeholder it | What The File |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #44,646 ▼ 6994 | #890 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 10+ | 40K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 12 | 1,670 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.9★ (883) |
| Last updated | Jun 10, 2016 | Feb 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 0.9 | 1.6.1 |
| Best rank on record | #34,067 | #869 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2016 | Aug 2012 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Placeholder it or What The File?
By active installs, What The File: 40K+ sites run it against 10+ for Placeholder it, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Placeholder it or What The File?
What The File, at #890 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Placeholder it at #44,646. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Placeholder it or What The File alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.