Reading Time WP vs Time goes by
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
Reading Time WP leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,105, ahead of Time goes by at #13,780. Over the last 7 days Reading Time WP slipped 1 place and Time goes by climbed 15 places. Reading Time WP has the largest install base, roughly 200× the next: 20K+ active installs against 100+ for Time goes by. Downloads this week: Reading Time WP 1,089 and Time goes by 43.
| Metric | Reading Time WP | Time goes by |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,105 ▼ 1 | #13,780 ▲ 15 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,089 | 43 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (20) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Aug 26, 2026 | Sep 12, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.0.18 | 1.2.9.1 |
| Best rank on record | #1,092 | #13,397 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2014 | Jan 2016 |
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
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- Time goes by vs WP Date and Time Shortcode
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Reading Time WP or Time goes by?
By active installs, Reading Time WP: 20K+ sites run it against 100+ for Time goes by, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Reading Time WP or Time goes by?
Reading Time WP, at #1,105 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Time goes by at #13,780. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Reading Time WP or Time goes by 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.