Thorsten Frommen

Find out what posts logged-in users found helpful.
Have you ever wanted to know about the quality of your posts? At least a little bit?
This is exactly when That Was Helpful kicks in.
This simple plugin lets you track how many logged-in users found individual posts helpful.
<h4>Usage</h4>
What this plugin is all about is providing a means to mark individual posts helpful. Each unique user can vote only once for each post. Of course, cast votes can be retracted.
Actions
In case you want to show the form depending on some (complicated) condition (and not always), simply wrap <code>do_action( 'that_was_helpful', $optional_post_id )</code> in the condition, and put it in your desired template file(s). If you provide an existing post ID as parameter, the according post’s votes are displayed. Otherwise the current post is used.
Filters
In order to customize certain aspects of the plugin, it provides you with several filters. For each of these, a short description as well as a code example on how to alter the default behavior is given below. Just put the according code snippet in your theme’s <code>functions.php</code> file or your customization plugin, or to some other appropriate place.
<code>that_was_helpful_capability</code>
Managing the plugin’s settings is restricted to a certain capability, which is by default <code>manage_options</code>.
<pre><code>/** * Filters the capability required to manage the settings. * * @param string $capability Capability required to manage the settings. */ add_filter( 'that_was_helpful_capability', function() { return 'edit_users'; } ); </code></pre>
<h4>Contribution</h4>
To contribute to this plugin, please see its <a href="https://github.com/tfrommen/that-was-helpful" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub repository</a>.
If you have a feature request, or if you have developed the feature already, please feel free to use the Issues and/or Pull Requests section.
Of course, you can also provide me with translations if you would like to use the plugin in another not yet included language.

That Was Helpful

Find out what posts logged-in users found helpful.

Jose Varghese

Ever wondered if your readers actually find your articles helpful? Help Metric Article Helpful Feedback makes it incredibly easy for your visitors to tell you if your content hits the mark.
We built this plugin because we wanted a lightning-fast alternative to heavy survey plugins and a much better option than basic vote counters. It adds a clean, friendly “Was this page helpful?” widget right at the bottom of your posts, pages, or WooCommerce products.
Visitors simply click Yes or No, and they can optionally drop a quick comment to explain why. You get a real-time picture of exactly what’s working and what needs improvement, right inside your WordPress dashboard. If you’re looking for the best WordPress feedback plugin that balances simplicity with powerful analytics, you’ve found it!
No third-party services, no tracking scripts, no bloat. All data stays in your own database.
<h4>Why use Help Metric Article Helpful Feedback?</h4>
Most feedback plugins are either too simple (just a vote counter) or too complex (full survey tools). This plugin sits in the sweet spot: it’s quick for visitors to use, gives you genuinely useful data, and has the professional features – GDPR tools, rate limiting, email alerts, analytics charts – that serious sites need without paying for a SaaS platform.
<h4>Key Features</h4>
Widget & Placement
<ul>
<li>Easy Setup – works out of the box with sensible defaults; no configuration required to get started</li>
<li>Gutenberg Block – insert the widget anywhere using the native block editor</li>
<li>Shortcode – place the widget manually with <code>[hmahf_widget]</code> in any classic editor, page builder, or text widget</li>
<li>Content Type Selection – choose which post types display the widget (posts, pages, custom post types, WooCommerce products)</li>
<li>Per-Post Disable Toggle – hide the widget on individual posts from the editor sidebar without touching global settings</li>
<li>Auto-Hide on Old Posts – optionally stop showing the widget on posts older than a set number of days</li>
<li>WooCommerce Support – display the widget on product pages</li>
</ul>
Appearance
<ul>
<li>5 SVG Icon Styles – choose from Thumbs, Stars, Hearts, Faces, or Arrows with a live visual picker in Settings; icons update across the widget, feedback form, dashboard cards, and admin bar</li>
<li>Customizable Text – change every text element (title, subtitle, button labels, success messages, form text) to match your brand voice</li>
<li>Clean Design – professional, minimal layout that fits any theme without CSS conflicts</li>
<li>Mobile Responsive – touch-friendly buttons, stacked layouts on small screens</li>
<li>Accessibility Ready – full keyboard navigation and ARIA screen reader support</li>
</ul>
Feedback Collection
<ul>
<li>Optional Written Comments – visitors who click “Not helpful” can explain why in a short text field</li>
<li>Vote Change / Retraction – a “Changed your mind?” link lets visitors update their vote after submitting</li>
<li>Duplicate Submission Prevention – cookie-based, IP-based, or open (your choice)</li>
<li>Rate Limiting – server-side protection against spam (max 5 submissions per IP per hour)</li>
<li>AJAX Powered – smooth experience with no page reloads</li>
</ul>
Analytics & Reporting
<ul>
<li>Analytics Dashboard – overview cards showing total, positive, negative, and ratio stats; cards use your selected icon style</li>
<li>30-Day Trend Chart – pure CSS bar chart showing daily positive and negative counts over the last 30 days (no external libraries)</li>
<li>Distribution Chart – CSS conic-gradient donut showing your overall positive/negative split</li>
<li>Statistics Page – per-post feedback breakdown with sortable columns and date/post-type filters</li>
<li>Feedback List – browse, filter, and search all individual feedback entries and comments with pagination</li>
<li>CSV Export – export your statistics data with one click</li>
<li>Admin Bar Stats – The WP admin bar shows today’s feedback counts with your selected icons, keeping them visible to administrators at all times</li>
</ul>
Notifications & Privacy
<ul>
<li>Email Notifications – get an email alert (including the visitor’s comment) whenever a visitor submits negative feedback; configure the recipient address as needed</li>
<li>GDPR Tools – configurable data retention period (auto-purge entries older than N days) and one-click deletion of all collected data</li>
<li>IP Anonymization – The plugin masks IP addresses in the admin feedback display</li>
</ul>
Developer-Friendly
<ul>
<li>Four Action/Filter Hooks – <code>hmahf_widget_html</code>, <code>hmahf_max_submissions_per_hour</code>, <code>hmahf_before_feedback_submit</code>, <code>hmahf_after_feedback_submit</code></li>
<li>Translation Ready – fully internationalized with proper text domains</li>
<li>No External Dependencies – no CDN calls, no third-party APIs, no tracking</li>
</ul>
<h4>Perfect For</h4>
<ul>
<li>Documentation and knowledge base sites</li>
<li>Blog posts and tutorials</li>
<li>Help centre articles</li>
<li>WooCommerce product pages</li>
<li>Any content where knowing what resonates helps you improve</li>
</ul>
<h4>Customization Options</h4>
<ul>
<li>Enable/disable the feedback widget globally</li>
<li>Select which content types show the widget</li>
<li>Choose from 5 SVG icon styles via a visual picker</li>
<li>Customize all widget and form text to match your brand</li>
<li>Choose duplicate-submission prevention method (cookie, IP, or none)</li>
<li>Set cookie expiration in days</li>
<li>Auto-hide widget on posts older than N days</li>
<li>Per-post disable toggle from the editor sidebar</li>
<li>Configure data retention period for GDPR compliance</li>
<li>Set a custom email address for negative-feedback notifications</li>
</ul>
We take your privacy seriously. The plugin safely stores all feedback data as WordPress post meta right in your own database. It never sends anything to an external service.

Help Metric Article Helpful Feedback

Add a "Was this page helpful?" feedback widget to WordPress. Includes beautiful icon styles, analytics, email alerts, and GDPR tools.

That Was Helpful vs Help Metric Article Helpful Feedback