| CARVIEW |
Syed Balkhi
@smub on WordPress.org, @syedbalkhi on Slack
Bio
I’m the founder of Awesome Motive Inc., the company behind WPBeginner (largest free WordPress resource site), OptinMonster, WPForms, AIOSEO, Duplicator, WPCode, and many other popular WordPress plugins. Collectively over 25 million websites use the software we create.
Interests
I want to help small businesses grow and compete with the big guys through our superior tools, team, and training.
WordPress Origin Story
I discovered WordPress in 2006 when I was 16 years old and immediately fell in love with the community. Now I’m over 33 years old and have spent more than half of my life working in the WordPress ecosystem. WordPress has changed my life and have provided me with opportunities beyond my wildest dreams. I’m extremely grateful. You can read more about my story at my blog: syedbalkhi.com
Contributions Sponsored
Awesome Motive sponsors Syed Balkhi to contribute 1 hour per week to the Core team.
- Member Since: June 22nd, 2008
- Location: Florida
- Website: wpbeginner.com
- GitHub: syedbalkhi
- Job Title: Founder and CEO
- Employer: Awesome Motive
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Find me on:
Contribution History
Syed Balkhi’s badges:- Core Contributor
- Plugin Developer
- WordCamp Organizer
- WordCamp Speaker
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Is the 151st person to arrive at WordCamp Lisboa, Portugal 2025
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Wrote a comment on the post Guidance on plugins that install other plugins, on the site Make WordPress Plugins:
Thank you Francisco for the detailed information and starting the discussion. I believe a combination… -
Mentioned in [58254] on WordPress SVN:
Upgrade/Install: Restore Activate button's href native behavior. -
Mentioned in [58250] on WordPress SVN:
Upgrade/Install: Restore Activate button's href native behavior. -
Mentioned in [57786] on WordPress SVN:
Upload: Add links back to installer pages. -
Mentioned in [57681] on WordPress SVN:
Export: Include featured image for posts or pages. -
Wrote a comment on the post Admin Design, on the site Make WordPress Core:
The idea of a new modern admin interface is indeed exciting, and it's much needed.… -
Wrote a comment on the post Advance Notice of Retirement, on the site Make WordPress Plugins:
Thank you Mika for all that you have done for the community. Wish you all… -
Wrote a comment on the post Big Picture Goals 2023, on the site WordPress.org Project:
Thank you for outlining these Josepha. It's really nice to see the goals laid out,… -
Posted a reply to Free version for WooCommerce is completely useless, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Thank you for sharing your feedback, but it seems there must be some confusion. WPCode… -
Posted a reply to Used to be a great plugin, not anymore, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Hey Mircea, you can easily switch to the Simple Mode option under Settings to disable… -
Posted a reply to Political agitation in the admin menu after updating to 2.0.4.1, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Hi @novoleg Thank you for bringing this to our attention. In our plugin, we use… -
Posted a reply to Cloud snippet library, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
These are all great ideas - I'm adding this to our feature list. We do… -
Posted a reply to CSS, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Thank you for making that suggestion. You can currently add CSS snippet using the Universal… -
Posted a reply to Sidebar label name change, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Thank you for the suggestion. We specifically made sure that our menu label is different… -
Posted a reply to Another good plugin ruined, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Thank you for your feedback. It's unfortunate that you're unhappy with the additional features which… -
Posted a reply to Thanks for the simple mode, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Thank you Charles. I personally wanted to make sure that the simple mode existed because… -
Wrote a comment on the post Enabling WebP by default, on the site Make WordPress Core:
I believe this should remain as plugin territory, and if people really want it, they… -
Posted a reply to The worst nightmare from security point of view, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
It's important I emphasize that for someone to add scripts via this plugin, it requires… -
Mentioned in [49361] on WordPress SVN:
Embeds: Remove Facebook and Instagram as an oEmbed Source -
Mentioned in [49359] on WordPress SVN:
Embeds: Remove Facebook and Instagram as an oEmbed Source -
Wrote a comment on the post Facebook and Instagram embeds to be deprecated October 24th, on the site Make WordPress Core:
Just wanted to comment here, since our Smash Balloon Instagram and FB feed plugins are… -
Committed [2311679] to Plugins SVN:
another update to see if plugin description fixes itself -
Committed [2311664] to Plugins SVN:
fix plugin description error -
Committed [2311627] to Plugins SVN:
add the other screenshots that got missed in last commit -
Committed [2311621] to Plugins SVN:
new screenshots, plugin banner, and readme -
Wrote a comment on the post Fullscreen mode enabled by default in the editor, on the site Make WordPress Core:
I love this decision. I really enjoy the full screen editor. It makes things the… -
Posted a reply to Dissappointed with the latest version!, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
@shehryaraziz thank you for taking the time to write a review. Our new update was… -
Posted a reply to Return the old version!, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
@franciscofgb thank you for taking the time to review. We tried to maintain the old… -
Posted a reply to Return to the OLD version, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
@jonas720 thank you for taking the time to write a review. We tried to maintain… -
Posted a reply to Return to the previous GADWP plugin, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
@jorge89 thank you for taking the time to write a review. In the process of… -
Posted a reply to What Happened?, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
I apologize for this issue as it was out of our control. We have implemented… -
Posted a reply to Certainly Everything Changes and I am blanked,, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
@shivwddm thank you for taking the time to write a review. In the process of… -
Posted a reply to Bait and switch, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
First, let me start by apologizing for the misunderstanding. I wrote the email to introduce… -
Wrote a comment on the post The Block Directory, and a new type of plugin, on the site Make WordPress.org:
While "Single Block Directory" may sound like a great idea in theory, it will only… -
Confirmed as a speaker for WordCamp Miami 2018
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Committed [1964009] to Plugins SVN:
Updating Readme to add new features like Surveys and Form permissions -
Created a topic, Perfect – does exactly what it says – Beginner friendly, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
This plugin is an outstanding example of simplicity an… -
Posted a reply to Shady Bait and Switch, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Hello, Syed here. I'm the founder of WPForms, and I wanted to personally respond to… -
Posted a reply to SPAM Plugin, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Hi Gecko_Guy, Our intention is never to annoy any of our users. This notice is… -
Posted a reply to Why is this plugin injecting spam into my dashboard, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Hi Gecko_Guy, Our intention is never to annoy any of our users. This notice is… -
Posted a reply to crashed my site, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
I sincerely apologize for the issue Daniel. During the update process, one of the files… -
Committed [1730923] to Plugins SVN:
Updating readme stats -
Wrote a comment on the post Plugin Support Reps, on the site Make WordPress Plugins:
Thank you for adding this :) It's going to immensely helpful for our team and… -
Posted a reply to straightaway i delete the plugin.., on the site WordPress.org Forums:
This plugin is 100% free for you to use and create your contact forms with.… -
Posted a reply to Easy to use, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, we do have entry management as a feature available… -
Committed [1671317] to Plugins SVN:
new readme description -
Committed [1671206] to Plugins SVN:
adding a faq -
Committed [1667415] to Plugins SVN:
Fixing readme -
Committed [1667412] to Plugins SVN:
Updating readme
Developer
-
Affiliate Area Shortcodes by AffiliateWP
Active Installs: 2,000+
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AffiliateWP - Affiliate Area Tabs
Active Installs: 4,000+
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AffiliateWP - Affiliate Info
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AffiliateWP - Affiliate Product Rates
Active Installs: 2,000+
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AffiliateWP - Allow Own Referrals
Active Installs: 1,000+
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AffiliateWP - Allowed Products
Active Installs: 1,000+
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AffiliateWP - External Referral Links
Active Installs: 900+
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AffiliateWP - Force Pending Referrals
Active Installs: 600+
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AffiliateWP - Leaderboard
Active Installs: 1,000+
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AffiliateWP - Order Details For Affiliates
Active Installs: 2,000+
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AffiliateWP - Sign Up Bonus
Active Installs: 400+
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AffiliateWP - Store Credit
Active Installs: 700+
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AffiliateWP - WooCommerce Redirect Affiliates
Active Installs: 1,000+
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AffiliateWP Checkout Referrals
Active Installs: 700+
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Airi Demo Importer
Active Installs: 1,000+
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All in One SEO Pack Importer
Active Installs: 500+
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All in One SEO – Powerful SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Increase Traffic
Active Installs: 3+ million
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All-In-One Intranet
Active Installs: 4,000+
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aThemes Addons for Elementor
Active Installs: 8,000+
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aThemes Blocks
Active Installs: 7,000+
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aThemes Starter Sites
Active Installs: 40,000+
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Athemes Toolbox
Active Installs: 4,000+
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Batch Comment Spam Deletion
Active Installs: 1,000+
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bbPress GDPR
Active Installs: 100+
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Beacon Lead Magnets and Lead Capture
Active Installs: 500+
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BP Auto Group Join
Active Installs: 800+
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Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Easily Fix/Monitor Internal and External links
Active Installs: 300,000+
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BuddyPress Edit Activity
Active Installs: 900+
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BuddyPress for LearnDash
Active Installs: 2,000+
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BuddyPress for Sensei
Active Installs: 100+
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BuddyPress GDPR
Active Installs: 100+
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Change Mail Sender
Active Installs: 20,000+
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Charitable - Donation Plugin for WordPress - Fundraising with Recurring Donations & More
Active Installs: 10,000+
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Comment Moderation Role by WPBeginner
Active Installs: 200+
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Compact Archives
Active Installs: 2,000+
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Contact Form & SMTP Plugin for WordPress by PirateForms
Active Installs: 30,000+
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Custom Twitter Feeds - A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget
Active Installs: 100,000+
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Disable All WP Updates
Active Installs: 400+
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Disable New User Notification Emails
Active Installs: 5,000+
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Duplicate Post by AIOSEO – Easily Clone and Republish Content
Active Installs: 70+
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Duplicator - Backups & Migration Plugin - Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More
Active Installs: 1+ million
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Easy Digital Downloads - Additional Shortcodes
Active Installs: 400+
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Easy Digital Downloads - Continue Shopping
Active Installs: 80+
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Easy Digital Downloads - Digital Badge
Active Installs: 40+
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Easy Digital Downloads - Lock Downloads to IP
Active Installs: 20+
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Easy Digital Downloads - Software Licensing - Renew All
Active Installs: 10+
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Easy Digital Downloads - Terms Per Product
Active Installs: 100+
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Easy Digital Downloads - Variable Pricing Descriptions
Active Installs: 200+
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Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy
Active Installs: 50,000+
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Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more
Active Installs: 500,000+
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EDD - Status Board
Active Installs: 10+
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EDD Auto Register
Active Installs: 1,000+
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EDD Hide Download
Active Installs: 600+
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EDD TaxJar
Active Installs: 10+
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Embed Files from Google Drive
Active Installs: 5,000+
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ExactMetrics - Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin)
Active Installs: 300,000+
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Featured Comments
Active Installs: 30+
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Feeds for TikTok (TikTok feed, video, and gallery plugin)
Active Installs: 60,000+
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Feeds for YouTube (YouTube video, channel, and gallery plugin)
Active Installs: 100,000+
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FOMO & Social Proof Notifications by TrustPulse - Best WordPress FOMO Plugin
Active Installs: 20,000+
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Force Plugin Updates Check
Active Installs: 500+
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FT Calendar
Active Installs: 100+
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Gallery Carousel Without JetPack
Active Installs: 5,000+
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Gallery Plugin for WordPress - Envira Photo Gallery
Active Installs: 100,000+
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Import Shopify To WP
Active Installs: 1,000+
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Last Viewed Posts by WPBeginner
Active Installs: 500+
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Login for Google Apps
Active Installs: 10,000+
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Love It
Active Installs: 30+
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Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner
Active Installs: 70,000+
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MonsterInsights - Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy)
Active Installs: 2+ million
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One Click Demo Import
Active Installs: 1+ million
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PDF Embedder
Active Installs: 300,000+
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Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes - NextGEN Gallery
Active Installs: 400,000+
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Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation
Active Installs: 1+ million
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Pre-Orders, Product Labels, Buy Now, Quick View, Discount Rules and More for WooCommerce – Merchant
Active Installs: 10,000+
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Prevent Skype Overwriting
Active Installs: 30+
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Restrict Uploads
Active Installs: 100+
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Reviews Feed – Add Testimonials and Customer Reviews From Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and More
Active Installs: 100,000+
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SearchWP Live Ajax Search
Active Installs: 50,000+
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SearchWP Modal Search Form
Active Installs: 6,000+
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Simple Notices
Active Installs: 100+
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Simple Post Expiration
Active Installs: 500+
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Slider by Soliloquy - Responsive Image Slider for WordPress
Active Installs: 30,000+
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Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin
Active Installs: 1+ million
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Smash Balloon Social Post Feed - Simple Social Feeds for WordPress
Active Installs: 200,000+
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Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay - Accept Credit Card Payments + Subscriptions with Stripe
Active Installs: 9,000+
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Sugar Calendar - Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform
Active Installs: 3,000+
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Sydney Toolbox
Active Installs: 60,000+
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Table of Contents Plus
Active Installs: 200,000+
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Transients Manager
Active Installs: 20,000+
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User Feedback - Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds
Active Installs: 200,000+
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Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode
Active Installs: 700,000+
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WP Call Button - Easy Click to Call Button for WordPress
Active Installs: 40,000+
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WP Lightbox 2
Active Installs: 30,000+
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WP Mail Logging
Active Installs: 300,000+
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WP Mail SMTP by WPForms - The Most Popular SMTP and Email Log Plugin
Active Installs: 4+ million
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WP101 Video Tutorial Plugin
Active Installs: 10,000+
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WPChat - Livechat Customer Support Suite
Active Installs: 100+
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WPCode - Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets - WordPress Code Manager
Active Installs: 2+ million
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WPConsent - Cookie Consent Banner for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA)
Active Installs: 100,000+
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WPControl - The Easiest Optimization Plugin for WordPress
Active Installs: 200+
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WPForms - Easy Form Builder for WordPress - Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Surveys, & More
Active Installs: 6+ million
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YouTube Subscribe Bar
Active Installs: 100+
Contributor
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Advanced Coupons – Enhanced WooCommerce Coupons & Store Credit
Active Installs: 20,000+
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All In One SEO Pack for WooCommerce
Active Installs: 4,000+
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Database Reset Pro - Clean & Reset WordPress Database
Active Installs: 100+
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File Upload Types by WPForms
Active Installs: 30,000+
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Invoice Gateway for WooCommerce - Invoice Payment Gateway
Active Installs: 2,000+
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jQuery Tabber Widget
Active Installs: 10+
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MyPayKit - Payment Forms for Square
Active Installs: 40+
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Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce
Active Installs: 80,000+
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SaveTo Wishlist Lite – WooCommerce Wishlist
Active Installs: 40+
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Search & Replace Everything by WPCode - Find and Replace Media, Text, Links, and More
Active Installs: 10,000+
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Store Exporter – Export WooCommerce Products, Orders, Subscriptions, Customers
Active Installs: 8,000+
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Store Toolkit – WooCommerce Extensions, Quick Enhancements & Handy Tools
Active Installs: 9,000+
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StoreAgent – WooCommerce AI Chatbot & AI Content Tools
Active Installs: 100+
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Uncanny Automator - Easy Automation, Integration, Webhooks & Workflow Builder Plugin
Active Installs: 50,000+
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WC Vendors - WooCommerce Multivendor, WooCommerce Marketplace, Product Vendors
Active Installs: 4,000+
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Wholesale Suite – B2B, Dynamic Pricing & WooCommerce Wholesale Prices
Active Installs: 20,000+
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WP Editor
Active Installs: 30,000+
Plugins
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Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
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All in One SEO – Powerful SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Increase Traffic
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Bitly's Wordpress Plugin
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Breadcrumb NavXT
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Compact Archives
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Edit Flow
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Members - Membership & User Role Editor Plugin
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MonsterInsights - Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy)
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No Self Ping
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One Click Demo Import
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Page Links To
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Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation
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Post Types Order
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Regenerate Thumbnails
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Simple Page Ordering
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Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin
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SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
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W3 Total Cache
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Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode
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WP Mail SMTP by WPForms - The Most Popular SMTP and Email Log Plugin
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WPCode - Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets - WordPress Code Manager
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WPForms - Easy Form Builder for WordPress - Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Surveys, & More