Reading progressbar

79 Quality Score

Active Installs

17/30

With 6,000 active installs and a score that exceeds the maximum weight, this plugin has a modest but well above-average footprint for such a focused utility.

Update Freshness

25/25

Updated February 2026 and tested against WordPress 6.9.4, the plugin shows a very active maintenance record that scores the full 25 points.

User Rating

15/15

Seventeen perfect scores give a 100 percent user rating, though the small sample size means the rating should be taken as encouraging rather than definitive.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads opened means there is no signal, positive or negative, about how responsive the author is when problems arise.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Compatible with WordPress 4.9 through 6.9.4 and PHP 5.6 or higher, giving this plugin one of the broadest compatibility ranges in its category.

Scores higher than 75% of indexed plugins

About

A reading position indicator that you can use where you want: top, bottom or custom position in differents templates or post types.

Active Installs 6k+

Rating ★★★★★ 5/5

Last Updated 2026-08-28 5:18am GMT

Requires WordPress 4.9+

Tested Up To 7.1

Requires PHP 5.6+

Security History

1 known vulnerability, all patched

1 Medium

Most recent: March 12, 2026

View details ▸

What It Does

Reading progressbar adds a visual scroll indicator to your WordPress site that fills as a visitor moves down a page or post. The bar can be positioned at the top, bottom, or any custom location, and it can be enabled or restricted per template or post type. It is a lightweight, presentation-only plugin with no backend content settings to learn.

Who It's For

This plugin suits publishers of long-form content, such as blogs, news outlets, magazines, educational platforms, online courses, and tutorial sites, where telling readers how far they have left to scroll improves the reading experience. It is best for site owners who want a simple, code-free progress indicator without subscribing to a larger analytics or engagement suite.

Who Should Skip It

If your site is built around short pages, galleries, or single-screen landing designs, the progress bar adds visual clutter without real benefit. If you need engagement analytics, scroll-depth tracking tied to conversions, or A/B testing, this plugin will not deliver that, so look at a dedicated analytics or on-site messaging tool instead.

The Bottom Line

Reading progressbar delivers exactly what its name promises, scoring 79.42/100 with up-to-date maintenance, broad compatibility, and a 100 percent user rating. The main weakness is zero tracked support activity, which leaves response times unproven even though everything currently looks healthy. For owners of long-form WordPress content who want a no-fuss scroll indicator, it is a strong, low-risk choice.

Pick this if your frustration is with the admin Media Library grid rather than the front-end reading experience.

Catch Infinite Scroll 78/100

Pick this if you want infinite-scroll loading on archives instead of a progress bar on long articles.

T4B News Ticker 78/100

Pick this for an attention-grabbing marquee of headlines, which is a different goal than signalling reading position.

WP Reading Progress 78/100

Pick this if you want a competing progress bar plugin with a smaller install base to test against before committing.

Smooth scrolling with Lenis 77/100

Pick this if buttery-smooth scroll behaviour matters more to you than a visible position indicator.