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PluginCanary

Web Stories

by Google · 60,000+ active installs · Checked 4 Nov 2026
Watch2 Warnings

Watch: tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, 3 major versions behind 7.1.4.

72/ 100 Canary Score
Sub-scores for Web Stories
Ownership100
Maintenance20
Security95
SupportNo data
Reputation85

How the score works

Quick answers

Is Web Stories still maintained?
No. Last release 15 May 2025, over 1 year ago. 15 May 2025 · wordpress.org
Who owns Web Stories, and has it changed hands?
No change recorded. Main committer swissspidy since Dec 2020. 4 Nov 2026 · SVN log
Was Web Stories removed from wordpress.org?
No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 4 Nov 2026. 4 Nov 2026 · wordpress.org
Is Web Stories safe?
3 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 1.38.0). Not on the exploited list. 11 Dec 2024 · Wordfence Intelligence
Is the latest Web Stories update safe to install?
No ownership change before 1.42.0. No one-star spike after it. 15 May 2025 · Release history

Active signals

Facts we detected, with links to the source.

  • WarningMNT-2Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, 3 major versions behind 7.1.4. Plan a replacement if the plugin is important to your site.3 Nov 2026Evidence
  • WarningMNT-1No release in 17 months (last release 15 May 2025). Plan a replacement if the plugin is important to your site.15 May 2026Evidence

Ownership timeline

Who commits to the plugin's code on wordpress.org, over time.

Committers and their active periods
plugin-master6 Apr 2020 to 6 Apr 2020, 1 commits
google22 Sep 2020 to 20 Jan 2021, 9 commits
willchou28 Oct 2020 to 11 Dec 2020, 6 commits
swissspidy17 Dec 2020 to 15 May 2025, 143 commits

4 committers recorded. No ownership change since 2020.

Maintenance

Last release
18 months ago
Releases, 24 months
5
Tested up to
6.8 vs 7.1
Requires PHP
7.4 supported 8.2+
Releases per quarter
Releases per quarter for Web Stories
Q1 20240
Q2 20242
Q3 20240
Q4 20241
Q1 20251
Q2 20253
Q3 20250
Q4 20250
Q1 20260
Q2 20260
Q3 20260
Q4 20260

Last release 15 May 2025. Tested up to 6.8, 3 major versions behind WordPress 7.1.

Reputation

Last 90 days: 5.0 (1 review). Lifetime: 4.2.

Average rating per quarter for Web Stories
Q3 20245.0
Q4 20242.0
Q1 20255.0
Q3 20255.0
Q4 20254.0
Q3 20265.0

Average rating stayed at 5.0 between Q3 2024 and Q3 2026.

Rating distribution
5 star61
4 star6
3 star5
2 star5
1 star10
Latest low reviews

Security record

1 vulnerability in 24 months (3 on record), patched (latest fixed in 1.38.0).

Show 3 patched vulnerabilities
PublishedIssueCVSSAffectedFixed inDays to patch
11 Dec 2024Web Stories <= 1.37.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting6.4<= 1.37.01.38.0Patched before disclosure
8 May 2023Web Stories for WordPress <= 1.31.0 - Insufficient Authorization4.3< 1.32.01.32.0Patched before disclosure
26 Oct 2022Web Stories <= 1.24.0 - Server Side Request Forgery9.6<= 1.24.01.25.0Patched before disclosure

Sources: Wordfence Intelligence, CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, readme changelogs.

Support

100% of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months.

Momentum

60,000+ active installs. History builds with each weekly snapshot.

Weekly downloads, last 27 weeks
Weekly downloads for Web Stories
4 May 2026431
11 May 20261,399
18 May 20261,880
25 May 20261,330
1 Jun 20261,414
8 Jun 20262,033
15 Jun 20261,982
22 Jun 20261,466
29 Jun 20261,228
6 Jul 20261,318
13 Jul 20261,404
20 Jul 20261,557
27 Jul 20261,389
3 Aug 20261,271
10 Aug 20261,391
17 Aug 20261,238
24 Aug 20261,462
31 Aug 20261,246
7 Sep 20261,316
14 Sep 20261,302
21 Sep 20261,351
28 Sep 20261,440
5 Oct 20261,277
12 Oct 20261,207
19 Oct 20261,593
26 Oct 20261,407
2 Nov 2026190

Weekly downloads over the last 4 weeks are 19% below the 27-week average.

Healthier alternatives

Same job, rated Healthy, higher Canary Score and at least 10,000 installs. Never sponsored.

No healthier plugin in the same category yet.

Facts

Version1.42.0
AuthorGoogle
Added22 Sep 2020
Last updated15 May 2025
Active installs60,000+
Requires WordPress6.6
Tested up to6.8.12
Requires PHP7.4
CategoryContent Management > Blog & Article Publishing
Tagsamp, google, stories, web stories, storytelling

Other plugins by this author: Site Kit by Google - Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed, Google Cloud Storage plugin, Gemini Enterprise for CX - AI Shopping Assistant & Chatbot for WooCommerce

Questions

Is Web Stories still maintained?

No. Last release 15 May 2025, over 1 year ago.

Who owns Web Stories, and has it changed hands?

No change recorded. Main committer swissspidy since Dec 2020.

Was Web Stories removed from wordpress.org?

No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 4 Nov 2026.

Is Web Stories safe?

3 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 1.38.0). Not on the exploited list.

Is the latest Web Stories update safe to install?

No ownership change before 1.42.0. No one-star spike after it.

Data: wordpress.org Plugins API, plugins SVN and Trac, wordpress.org reviews and support forum, Wordfence Intelligence, CISA KEV, NVD.Plugin data refreshed 4 Nov 2026.Report a data issue