Compact Archives is the #109 ranked widget app on WordPress, with a 5.0 average rating from 9 reviews, as of Aug 31, 2026.
Compact Archives is a WordPress Plugin Directory app by Syed Balkhi. With a rating of 5.0★ from 9 reviews, it currently ranks #109 in the Widget category.
AppRanks data: Compact Archives ranks #109 in Widget on WordPress Plugin Directory, placing it in the top 14% of that category.
AppRanks verdict
Generated from live marketplace data — refreshed daily
Compact Archives is a category-leading WordPress app with a limited review volume. It is listed in the Widget category on WordPress Plugin Directory, which AppRanks treats as the canonical taxonomy node for ranking and competitor comparison. 9 reviews put it in the early-traction tier — useful for early-stage stores willing to be on the leading edge. Early-traction review counts are sensitive to single launch periods or feature events, so a 30-day re-check before bigger commitments often resolves whether the trend is sustained. Paid-only pricing means evaluating fit on the marketplace listing or via the developer's documentation before installing. AppRanks tracks rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position daily — the figures on this page reflect the most recent scrape from the canonical WordPress Plugin Directory listing.
Pros
- +High average rating (5.0★) signals consistent merchant satisfaction
- +Published by Syed Balkhi — established developer track record
Cons
- −Limited review base (9) — ratings can shift significantly with new feedback
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How Compact Archives works
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The built-in WordPress archives widget is great for new blogs, but it doesn’t look as good for more established blogs like WPBeginner. Compact Archives displays the monthly archive of posts in a more compact form rather than the usual long list. It can be shown as a compact block suitable for the body of an archives page:
2009: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2008: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2007: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
or in an even more compact form to fit a sidebar:
2009: J F M A M J J A S O N D 2008: J F M A M J J A S O N D 2007: J F M A M J J A S O N D
or something in between:
2009: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 2008: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 2007: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
Compact Archive plugin works seamlessly with Gutenberg Block Editor, Classic Editor, and WordPress widgets.
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Visit WPBeginner to learn from our WordPress Tutorials and find out about other best WordPress plugins.
Like all plugins, Compact Archives is only available for self-hosted WordPress sites. So YES you need to switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org in order to use this plugin on your WordPress site. For more details, see the infographic on Self hosted WordPress.org vs Free WordPress.com
If you like this plugin, then please leave a good rating. For support just ask the questions here in the support forum.
Credits This plugin was originally created by Rob Marsh and Aldolat added a widget for it. WPBeginner adopted the plugin and took the responsibility of keeping it updated.
Category rankings
As of Sep 3, 2026- Widget#109of 781Top 14%
See 90-day rank history for each category
Track daily rank changes, category shifts, and position volatility.
Keyword rankings
Compact Archives ranks for 1 keywords across WordPress Plugin Directory. Here are the top 1:
- Rank #766
Competitors & alternatives
Compact Archives doesn't have curated competitor matchups yet. Other tracked widget apps on WordPress:
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Where Compact Archives stands in the Widget category
Compact Archives ranks #109 of 781 apps in the Widget category, placing it in the top 14% of the listing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Compact Archives?
Compact Archives is an app for WordPress. It currently holds a 5.0-star rating from 9 merchant reviews, and AppRanks has been tracking its public marketplace data on the refresh cadence published in our methodology. It is listed under the Widget category on AppRanks, where you can see its current category position, review-velocity trend, and how it compares against the top alternatives in the same space. Developed by Syed Balkhi.
Who uses Compact Archives?
Currently around 2,000 active stores have installed Compact Archives. Its review base is still building, which usually maps to early-stage merchants and stores piloting a new workflow. It is part of the Widget category on WordPress.
Where does Compact Archives rank on WordPress?
Compact Archives currently sits at position #109 in the Widget category on WordPress. That places it in the top 14% of 781 apps tracked in the same category. Category positions are read from the live marketplace ranking and refresh on each scrape, so the number you see here reflects the most recent crawl rather than a long-running average.