WP-Stats for WordPress

I’ve been running a small blog for years and kept wondering how many people were actually checking out my posts. I didn’t need Google Analytics with all its tracking scripts and privacy headaches. I just wanted something simple to show me page views, top posts, and a little bit of real-time data. That’s where WP-Stats came in - and honestly, it did exactly what it promised.

The good stuff

Setting it up was a breeze. Went into the admin panel, clicked on the stats section, set the permalink to /stats, dropped in the [page_stats] shortcode, and boom - a clean, readable stats page showed up. No confusing dashboards, no third-party logins. It just worked. The widget is nice too - I stuck it in my sidebar and it shows recent visitors and most popular posts. Feels like old-school web stats, which is oddly comforting. And it's actively maintained on GitHub, so you’re not stuck with dead code.

The not-so-good

It’s not going to win any design awards. The interface is functional but dated - think 2010s WordPress theme levels of simplicity. You get basic metrics, sure, but no breakdown by country, device, or referral source. If you're used to GA4’s depth, this feels pretty bare bones. Also, it doesn’t track anything beyond page views and visits. No user behavior, no session duration. So if you're trying to optimize content or conversions, this won’t cut it. And since the developer isn’t named, there’s zero support channel - just GitHub issues if something breaks. But hey, it’s free, so you can’t expect much more.

Bottom line

If you're running a personal blog or small site and just want to keep an eye on how many people are reading your stuff without installing a full analytics suite, WP-Stats for WordPress is worth a download. It’s lightweight, straightforward, and does one thing well. Skip it if you need advanced insights, but if you’re tired of the clutter and just want a quick peek at your numbers, this is a solid stopgap. Free and still working after all these years? That’s a win.