Browse Free WordPress Plugins Like A VIP

Josh Pollock - September 23, 2013

WordPress VIP LogoWordPress VIP Logo

The official WordPress plugin repository contains over 27,000 plugins. Separating the good from the bad as well as the good from the ‘was once good but no longer works’ can be a challenge. Opposed to the theme directory, the plugins are not actively reviewed by a large team of dedicated volunteer reviewers. This leaves the plugin directory full of functional plugins. Luckily, there are some curated lists of plugins that meet the highest standards and work with the most recent version of WordPress. Recently I found two places where plugin standards and continued functionality are rigidly enforced.

WordPress VIP Plugins

WordPress VIP may be a service beyond the needs and budget of most WordPress users, but the list of plugins that meet Automattic’s standards for use with a WordPress VIP site is available to anyone. WordPress VIP Plugins are plugins available in the regular plugin directory that meet the quite rigid VIP Plugin standards.

Tidy Repo

Tidy Repo is a curator list of plugins who have met these standards set by the curator Jay Hoffmann:

  • I’ve tested the plugin on a live WordPress install, with the wonderful WP Test loaded in, on different themes, and with other plugins also installed.
  • Plugins are run through the Plugin Performance Profiler and assessed for performance.
  • The plugin is more or less actively maintained, and has been updated in the last six months to a year, depending on it’s functionality.
  • Plugin authors provide a level of support consummate with the complexity of the plugin.