Compact Archives

75 Quality Score

Active Installs

15/30

With roughly 2,000 active installs, the plugin has a niche but dedicated user base, far below major alternatives but stable enough to indicate real-world usage.

Update Freshness

23/25

The plugin was updated in February 2026 and tested against WordPress 6.9.4, showing active and current maintenance.

User Rating

15/15

A perfect 100/100 from 9 reviewers is encouraging but the small sample size means the rating should be read with some caution.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads opened and zero resolved gives a clean but unproven record; there is simply no public evidence of how the author handles issues.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Tested with WordPress 6.9.4 and requiring only WordPress 4.8 and PHP 5.6, the plugin has very broad compatibility across older and newer environments.

Scores higher than 42% of indexed plugins

About

Displays a smart monthly archive of posts in a more compact form rather than the default long archive widget.

Active Installs 2k+

Rating ★★★★★ 5/5

Last Updated 2026-02-16 7:51pm GMT

Requires WordPress 4.8+

Tested Up To 6.9.7

Requires PHP 5.6+

Security History

1 known vulnerability, all patched

1 Medium

Most recent: September 22, 2025

View details ▸

What It Does

Compact Archives replaces the default WordPress monthly archives widget with a space-saving layout that lists posts grouped by month and year. It works as a sidebar widget, letting visitors browse your full posting history without the visual clutter of the standard long list. The plugin is designed for sites with many years of content where the default archive widget becomes unwieldy.

Who It's For

This plugin is best for bloggers, news sites, and content-heavy publications with several years of posts who want a tidier archive display in their sidebar or footer. It also suits documentation sites and portfolio archives where chronological navigation matters but screen real estate is limited. Anyone running a multi-year blog that finds the default archive widget visually overwhelming will benefit most.

Who Should Skip It

Sites with fewer than a year of posts will see little benefit since the default archive widget already handles small histories well. Users who need advanced filtering, custom post type archives, or block editor integration should look elsewhere, as this plugin keeps a narrow feature set.

The Bottom Line

Compact Archives delivers exactly what it promises: a cleaner monthly archive widget, with current maintenance, perfect ratings, and broad compatibility. The small install count and lack of public support history make it a low-risk pick for simple needs but a less proven choice for complex archive requirements. It earns its 77.28 overall score by being focused, updated, and technically solid rather than broadly popular.

Related Plugins

Widgets for Google Reviews 94/100

Pick this instead if your priority is showcasing Google Reviews rather than organizing your own post archives.

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 90/100

Choose this if you want richer review display features and a much larger install base for proven reliability.

WP Popular Posts 89/100

Choose this if you want to highlight your most viewed posts rather than provide a compact chronological archive.

Blocksy Companion 86/100

Pick this if you use the Blocksy theme and need a broader widget suite, with archive styling as just one feature among many.

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 86/100

Choose this if your main need is restoring the visual editor widget and you handle archive display separately.