# WordPress Plugin & Theme Scraper — Installs, Downloads, Ratings (`haketa/wordpress-directory-scraper`) Actor

Scrape the WordPress.org plugin & theme directory: active installs, total downloads, rating, review count, version, PHP/WP requirements, support stats, author and dates. For plugin market intelligence, ASO and competitive research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/haketa/wordpress-directory-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Haketa](https://apify.com/haketa) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.75 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## WordPress Plugin & Theme Scraper — Installs, Downloads & Ratings

> **Extract the entire WordPress.org plugin & theme directory as structured data: active installs, total downloads, rating & review count, version, PHP/WordPress requirements, support-thread stats, author and dates.** Search, browse by tag, or pull ranking feeds — clean JSON/CSV/Excel in seconds. Built for plugin market intelligence, competitive research and "plugin store optimization".

[![WordPress](https://img.shields.io/badge/WordPress.org-Plugins%20%26%20Themes-21759b)]()
[![Installs & Downloads](https://img.shields.io/badge/Installs%20%2B%20Downloads%20%2B%20Rating-2da44e)]()
[![Market Intel](https://img.shields.io/badge/Plugin%20Market%20Intelligence-8250df)]()
[![Export](https://img.shields.io/badge/Export-JSON%20%2F%20CSV%20%2F%20Excel-fb8500)]()

***

### What This Actor Does

The **WordPress.org** directory hosts 60,000+ plugins and thousands of themes — with the numbers that reveal market share and quality. This Actor turns it into a dataset. For each plugin/theme it returns:

- **Reach** — active installs and total downloads
- **Quality** — rating (0–5 and 0–100), review count, support threads and resolution rate
- **Tech** — current version, required & tested WordPress version, required PHP version
- **Meta** — author, homepage, tags, last-updated & added dates, description, download link and directory URL

Search by keyword, browse by tag, or pull ranking feeds (popular / new / updated / top-rated / featured) — paginated 100 at a time.

***

### Why Use This

- **Plugin market intelligence.** Active installs and downloads reveal real market share — essential for plugin developers, SaaS and agencies sizing a niche or competitor.
- **"Plugin store optimization" (ASO for WordPress).** Rating, reviews, version cadence and support resolution show where a listing wins or loses — the WordPress counterpart of App Store / Google Play ASO.
- **Compatibility & risk research.** Required PHP/WP versions and last-updated dates flag abandoned or risky plugins.
- **Clean and free.** Reads WordPress.org's official public API — no key, no anti-bot, no browser.

***

### Quick Start

#### Run it in the console (no code)

1. Choose **Plugins** or **Themes**.
2. Add **Search terms** (e.g. `seo`), **Tags**, and/or **Browse feeds** (`popular`, `new`, `top-rated`).
3. Set **Max items**, click **Start**, then export as **JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML**, or push to Google Sheets, a webhook or a database.

#### Run it via API (Python)

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")

run_input = {"type": "plugins", "searchTerms": ["seo"], "browse": ["popular"], "maxItems": 500}

run = client.actor("YOUR_USERNAME/wordpress-directory-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

for p in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(p["name"], "·", p["activeInstalls"], "installs ·", p["ratingStars"], "★")
```

#### Size a niche (Python)

```python
run = client.actor("YOUR_USERNAME/wordpress-directory-scraper").call(run_input={
    "type": "plugins", "searchTerms": ["backup"], "maxItems": 300,
})
rows = [p for p in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items() if p.get("activeInstalls")]
print("total installs in niche:", sum(p["activeInstalls"] for p in rows))
for p in sorted(rows, key=lambda x: -x["activeInstalls"])[:10]:
    print(p["name"], p["activeInstalls"], p["ratingStars"])
```

***

### Input Parameters

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `type` | string | `plugins` or `themes`. |
| `searchTerms` | array | Keywords to search. |
| `tags` | array | Directory tags to browse. |
| `browse` | array | Ranking feeds: `popular`, `new`, `updated`, `top-rated`, `featured`. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Max items across all sources. `0` = no limit. |
| `maxPages` | integer | Max pages per source (100 per page). Default `20`. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | Apify Proxy. Datacenter is enough (public API). |

***

### Output

Each plugin/theme is one record:

```json
{
  "type": "plugin",
  "slug": "seo-by-rank-math",
  "name": "Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings",
  "version": "1.0.279",
  "author": "Rank Math SEO",
  "activeInstalls": 4000000,
  "downloaded": 198548892,
  "rating": 96,
  "ratingStars": 4.8,
  "numRatings": 7507,
  "supportThreads": 41,
  "supportThreadsResolved": 30,
  "requiresWp": "6.7",
  "testedWp": "7.1.2",
  "requiresPhp": "7.4",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-22 7:45am GMT",
  "homepage": "https://rankmath.com/",
  "tags": ["seo", "sitemap", "schema"],
  "url": "https://wordpress.org/plugins/seo-by-rank-math/"
}
```

***

### Use Cases

#### 1. Plugin/theme market intelligence

Size a niche by total installs and downloads, and rank competitors by market share and growth.

#### 2. Competitive & ASO research

Compare ratings, review counts, version cadence and support resolution to position a listing and find gaps.

#### 3. Compatibility & risk audits

Flag plugins that are outdated or incompatible (last-updated, requires/tested WP & PHP) for security and maintenance.

#### 4. Lead generation for WP services

Find popular plugins/authors to target for partnerships, integrations or agency services.

#### 5. Trend & ecosystem analysis

Track new and updated plugins over time to spot emerging categories.

***

### Tips

- **Combine sources:** mix `searchTerms`, `tags` and `browse` feeds in one run for broad coverage (results are deduped by slug).
- **`browse: ["popular"]`** is the fastest way to get the biggest plugins in the directory.
- **`ratingStars`** is the 0–5 rating; `rating` is the raw 0–100 value.
- **Schedule it** with Apify Schedules to track installs, versions and ratings over time.

***

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Do I need an account or key?**
No. The WordPress.org directory API is public — no login, key or anti-bot.

**How current are active installs?**
Active installs are WordPress.org's own bucketed figure (e.g. 1M+, 4M+), updated by WordPress.

**Plugins and themes both?**
Yes — set `type` to `plugins` or `themes`.

**What export formats are supported?**
JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, or via API — plus Google Sheets, webhooks, Make and Zapier.

***

### Legal & Responsible Use

This Actor is an independent tool and is **not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by WordPress, the WordPress Foundation or Automattic**. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. It reads only the public WordPress.org directory API. Use reasonable request volumes and comply with applicable terms.

# Actor input Schema

## `type` (type: `string`):

Which directory to scrape.

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Keywords to search (e.g. seo, security, backup, woocommerce). Each returns matching plugins/themes.

## `tags` (type: `array`):

Directory tags to browse (e.g. ecommerce, cache, forms).

## `browse` (type: `array`):

Ranking feeds: popular, new, updated, top-rated, featured.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum plugins/themes across all sources. 0 = no limit (100 per page).

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Maximum result pages per search/tag/feed (100 items per page).

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy. The WordPress.org API is public — datacenter is enough and enabled by default.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "type": "plugins",
  "searchTerms": [
    "seo"
  ],
  "browse": [
    "popular"
  ],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "maxPages": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `type` (type: `string`):

plugin | theme

## `slug` (type: `string`):

Directory slug

## `name` (type: `string`):

Name

## `version` (type: `string`):

Current version

## `author` (type: `string`):

Author

## `activeInstalls` (type: `string`):

Active installs

## `downloaded` (type: `string`):

Total downloads

## `rating` (type: `string`):

Rating 0-100

## `ratingStars` (type: `string`):

Rating in stars

## `numRatings` (type: `string`):

Number of ratings

## `supportThreads` (type: `string`):

Support threads

## `supportThreadsResolved` (type: `string`):

Resolved support threads

## `requiresWp` (type: `string`):

Min WordPress version

## `testedWp` (type: `string`):

Tested up to WP version

## `requiresPhp` (type: `string`):

Min PHP version

## `lastUpdated` (type: `string`):

Last update

## `added` (type: `string`):

Date added

## `homepage` (type: `string`):

Homepage URL

## `shortDescription` (type: `string`):

Short description

## `tags` (type: `string`):

Tags

## `downloadLink` (type: `string`):

ZIP download link

## `url` (type: `string`):

Directory URL

## `source` (type: `string`):

Search/tag/browse source

## `scrapedAt` (type: `string`):

ISO timestamp

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "type": "plugins",
    "searchTerms": [
        "seo"
    ],
    "browse": [
        "popular"
    ],
    "maxItems": 100,
    "maxPages": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("haketa/wordpress-directory-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "type": "plugins",
    "searchTerms": ["seo"],
    "browse": ["popular"],
    "maxItems": 100,
    "maxPages": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("haketa/wordpress-directory-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "type": "plugins",
  "searchTerms": [
    "seo"
  ],
  "browse": [
    "popular"
  ],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "maxPages": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call haketa/wordpress-directory-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,haketa/wordpress-directory-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/eSBl4tXE4aZmoB5Nu/builds/JDquHwJsLHRZdII64/openapi.json