Title: ReaderCount – Privacy-first stats
Author: kt8com
Published: <strong>October 26, 2026</strong>
Last modified: October 26, 2026

---

Search plugins

![](https://ps.w.org/readercount/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3766574)

![](https://ps.w.org/readercount/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3766574)

# ReaderCount – Privacy-first stats

 By [kt8com](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kt8com/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/readercount.1.0.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/readercount/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/readercount/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/readercount/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/readercount/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/readercount/)

## Description

ReaderCount shows how many people read your site, where they came from and which
posts they like, without cookies and without a cookie banner.

This plugin connects your site to ReaderCount:

 * **Counts your visitors.** Adds ReaderCount’s small script (under 2 KB) to every
   page, with your site’s name filled in.
 * **Leaves out your own visits.** People who can edit the site aren’t counted while
   they’re signed in, so your own reading doesn’t skew the numbers.
 * **Finds missing pages.** WordPress “not found” pages are marked, so ReaderCount
   can list the broken addresses readers are trying to reach.
 * **Your week on the Dashboard.** Add a read-only API key and the Dashboard shows
   the last 7 days’ visitors and page views, compared with the week before, plus
   your most-read pages.
 * **Check it’s working.** One button asks ReaderCount whether your visits are arriving.

ReaderCount also counts clicks on outbound and affiliate links, file downloads and
goals, connects to Google Search Console, and can answer questions about your stats
in Claude.

#### You need a ReaderCount account

The plugin is free. The stats themselves are on ReaderCount, a paid service that
starts with a 30-day trial. [See plans and prices](https://readercount.com/pricing/).

#### What this plugin sends to ReaderCount

This plugin relies on ReaderCount, an outside service at readercount.com.

 * While “Count visitors” is on, every public page loads a script from `https://
   app.readercount.com/s.js`. For each page view it sends ReaderCount the page address,
   the address the reader came from, the reader’s browser and device type (read 
   from the browser’s own description), how long the page was on screen, and clicks
   on links to other websites and file downloads. ReaderCount sets no cookies, stores
   nothing in the reader’s browser and doesn’t keep IP addresses: each day’s visitor
   count uses a one-way code that changes every day.
 * If you add an API key, your site’s server asks `https://api.readercount.com/v1/`
   for your stats (at most every 10 minutes) to fill the Dashboard box, and when
   you press “Check now”.

Nothing is sent until you switch on “Count visitors” or add a key.

 * [ReaderCount’s privacy notice](https://readercount.com/privacy/)
 * [ReaderCount’s terms](https://readercount.com/terms/)

## Screenshots

[⌊Your last 7 days on the WordPress Dashboard.⌉⌊Your last 7 days on the WordPress
Dashboard.⌉[

Your last 7 days on the WordPress Dashboard.

[⌊Settings, ReaderCount.⌉⌊Settings, ReaderCount.⌉[

Settings, ReaderCount.

## Installation

 1. Start a trial at [app.readercount.com/start](https://app.readercount.com/start)
    and add your website’s address.
 2. In WordPress, go to Plugins, Add New, search for “ReaderCount”, then Install and
    Activate.
 3. Go to Settings, ReaderCount, tick “Count visitors” and save.
 4. Optional: on your ReaderCount stats page, under API keys, make a key and paste 
    it into the API key box to see your stats on the Dashboard.

## FAQ

### Do I need a cookie banner?

ReaderCount sets no cookies and stores nothing on your readers’ devices, so it adds
nothing that needs a cookie banner. Other plugins on your site might.

### Will it slow my site down?

The script is under 2 KB and loads with `defer`, so it never holds up your page.

### I use a caching plugin. Does that matter?

No. The script runs in the reader’s browser, so cached pages are counted too. If
you change the settings, clear your cache so every page picks them up.

### Can I count a site under a different name?

Yes. Put the name you used in ReaderCount (such as `example.com`) in “Website name
in ReaderCount”.

### How do I stop counting my visits on a device where I’m not signed in?

Open any page of your site once with `#readercount-ignore` on the end of the address,
such as `https://example.com/#readercount-ignore`. `#readercount-count` undoes it.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“ReaderCount – Privacy-first stats” is open source software. The following people
have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ kt8com ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kt8com/)

[Translate “ReaderCount – Privacy-first stats” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/readercount)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/readercount/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/readercount/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/readercount/) by
[RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/readercount/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.0

 * First release.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.0**
 *  Last updated **3 days ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.3 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.1.4**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 * Tags
 * [analytics](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/analytics/)[cookie-free](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/cookie-free/)
   [GDPR](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/gdpr/)[privacy](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/privacy/)
   [stats](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/stats/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/readercount/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/readercount/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/readercount/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ kt8com ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kt8com/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/readercount/)