Adam Capriola

Saves view counts from <a href="https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jetpack/" rel="ugc">Jetpack</a> Site Stats module as post meta data. This can be useful for displaying view counts in your theme and building <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Order_.26_Orderby_Parameters" rel="nofollow ugc">custom queries</a>.
What makes this a better solution over other view-tracking plugins is that it simply pulls the information from Jetpack, which is popular and provides fairly accurate data, so this has very little overhead. It’s a streamlined plugin that piggybacks off another which you might already be using.
Comes with a shortcode to display views and a filter to change the post meta key where views are saved.
Thank you to <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dimadin/" rel="nofollow ugc">Milan Dinić</a> for improvements in the code after the initial release (and for the Serbian translation)!

WordPress Stats View Counter

Saves view counts from WordPress.com Stats Jetpack module as post meta data.

Hao Nguyen

Init View Count is a fast, clean plugin to track post views without clutter. It:
<ul>
<li>Uses REST API and JS to count real views</li>
<li>Prevents duplicate counts with session/local storage</li>
<li>Stores counts in meta keys like <code>_init_view_count</code>, <code>_init_view_day_count</code>, etc.</li>
<li>Provides <code>[init_view_count]</code> and <code>[init_view_list]</code> shortcodes</li>
<li>Includes <code>[init_view_ranking]</code> shortcode with tabbed ranking by time range</li>
<li>Supports template overrides (like WooCommerce)</li>
<li>Lightweight. No tracking, no admin bloat.</li>
<li>Includes REST API to query most viewed posts</li>
<li>Supports pagination in <code>[init_view_list]</code> via the <code>page</code> attribute</li>
<li>Batch view tracking support to reduce REST requests on busy sites</li>
<li>Optional strict IP-based filtering to block fake view requests posted directly to the REST endpoint</li>
<li>Includes a Dashboard widget to monitor top viewed posts directly in wp-admin</li>
<li>Learns site-wide traffic shape (hourly & weekday) via AI-powered smoothing</li>
<li>Shapes cached and updated efficiently with minimal overhead</li>
<li>Safe reset action to rebuild patterns automatically</li>
<li>Fully integrated with Trending Engine v3 for uplift-based scoring</li>
</ul>
This plugin is part of the <a href="https://en.inithtml.com/init-plugin-suite-minimalist-powerful-and-free-wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow ugc">Init Plugin Suite</a> — a collection of minimalist, fast, and developer-focused tools for WordPress.
GitHub repository: <a href="https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count" rel="nofollow ugc">https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count</a>
<h3>Highlights</h3>
<ul>
<li>REST-first design — no jQuery or legacy Ajax</li>
<li>View tracking powered by time + scroll detection</li>
<li>Realtime display with optional animated counters</li>
<li>Fully theme-compatible with overrideable templates</li>
<li>Developer-friendly with rich filter support</li>
<li>Optional <code>[init_view_ranking]</code> shortcode for tabbed view by day/week/month/total</li>
<li>Assets are only loaded when needed – perfect for performance-conscious themes</li>
<li>Fully compatible with headless and SPA frameworks (REST-first + lazy)</li>
<li>Supports batch mode: delay view requests and send in groups (configurable in settings)</li>
<li>Includes optional Dashboard widget for quick admin overview of top viewed posts</li>
<li>AI-powered Traffic Shape Learner – understands your site’s hourly & weekly rhythm</li>
<li>Auto-integrated with Trending Engine v3 for seasonality-aware uplift detection</li>
<li>Smart fallbacks (day → week → month → total) ensure rankings never run empty</li>
<li>Ultra-light: only 1 write per increment + 1 rollup per day, cache-first design</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcodes</h3>
<h3>[init_view_count]</h3>
Shows current view count for a post. Only works inside a post loop.
Attributes: 
– <code>field</code>: <code>total</code> (default), <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code> – which counter to display 
– <code>format</code>: <code>formatted</code> (default), <code>raw</code>, or <code>short</code> – controls number formatting 
– <code>time</code>: <code>true</code> to show time diff from post date (e.g. “3 days ago”) 
– <code>icon</code>: <code>true</code> to display a small SVG icon before the count 
– <code>schema</code>: <code>true</code> to output schema.org microdata (InteractionCounter) 
– <code>class</code>: add a custom CSS class to the outer wrapper
<h3>[init_view_list]</h3>
Show list of most viewed posts.
Attributes: 
– <code>number</code>: Number of posts to show (default: 5) 
– <code>page</code>: Show a specific page of results (default: 1) 
– <code>post_type</code>: Type of post (default: post) 
– <code>template</code>: <code>sidebar</code> (default), <code>full</code>, <code>grid</code>, <code>details</code> (can be overridden) 
– <code>title</code>: Title above list. Set to empty (<code>title=""</code>) to hide 
– <code>class</code>: Custom class added to wrapper 
– <code>orderby</code>: Sort field (default: meta_value_num) 
– <code>order</code>: ASC or DESC (default: DESC) 
– <code>range</code>: <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code>, <code>trending</code> 
– <code>category</code>: Filter by category slug 
– <code>tag</code>: Filter by tag slug 
– <code>empty</code>: Message to show if no posts found
<h3>[init_view_ranking]</h3>
Show tabbed ranking of most viewed posts. Uses REST API and JavaScript for dynamic loading. Optimized for SPA/headless usage.
Attributes: 
– <code>tabs</code>: Comma-separated list of ranges. Available: <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code> (default: all) 
– <code>number</code>: Number of posts per tab (default: 5) 
– <code>class</code>: Custom class for outer wrapper
This shortcode automatically enqueues required JS and uses skeleton loaders while fetching data.
<h3>REST API</h3>
This plugin exposes two REST endpoints to interact with view counts: one for recording views and another for retrieving top posts.
<code>POST /wp-json/initvico/v1/count</code> 
Record one or more views. Accepts a single post ID or an array of post IDs.
Parameters: 
– <code>post_id</code> — (int|array) Required. One or more post IDs to increment view count for.
This endpoint checks if the post is published, belongs to a supported post type, and applies delay/scroll config (via JavaScript). It updates total and optionally day/week/month view counters.
Note: The number of post IDs processed per request is limited based on the batch setting in plugin options.
<code>GET /wp-json/initvico/v1/top</code> 
Retrieve the most viewed posts, ranked by view count.
Parameters: 
– <code>range</code> — (string) <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code>. Defaults to <code>total</code>. 
– <code>post_type</code> — (string) Post type to query. Defaults to <code>post</code>. 
– <code>number</code> — (int) Number of posts to return. Default: <code>5</code>. 
– <code>page</code> — (int) Pagination offset. Default: <code>1</code>. 
– <code>fields</code> — (string) <code>minimal</code> (id, title, link) or <code>full</code> (includes excerpt, thumbnail, type, date, etc.) 
– <code>tax</code> — (string) Optional. Taxonomy slug (e.g. <code>category</code>). 
– <code>terms</code> — (string) Comma-separated term slugs or IDs. 
– <code>no_cache</code> — (bool) If <code>1</code>, disables transient caching.
This endpoint supports filtering and caching, and can be extended to support custom output formats.
<h3>Filters for Developers</h3>
This plugin provides multiple filters to help developers customize behavior and output in both REST API and shortcode use cases.
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_should_count</code> 
Allow or prevent counting views for a specific post. 
Applies to: REST <code>/count</code> 
Params: <code>bool $should_count</code>, <code>int $post_id</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_meta_key</code> 
Change the meta key used to read or write view counts. 
Applies to: REST & Shortcodes 
Params: <code>string $meta_key</code>, <code>int|null $post_id</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_after_counted</code> 
Run custom logic after view count has been incremented. 
Applies to: REST <code>/count</code> 
Params: <code>int $post_id</code>, <code>array $updated</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_args</code> 
Customize WP_Query arguments used for <code>/top</code> endpoint. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $args</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_item</code> 
Modify each item before it’s returned in the <code>/top</code> response. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $item</code>, <code>WP_Post $post</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_cache_time</code> 
Adjust cache time (in seconds) for <code>/top</code> results. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>int $ttl</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_top_post_types</code> 
Customize the list of post types returned by the <code>/top</code> endpoint. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $post_types</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_query_args</code> 
Filter WP_Query args for <code>[init_view_list]</code> shortcode. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>array $args</code>, <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_empty_output</code> 
Customize the HTML output when no posts are found. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>string $output</code>, <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_view_list_atts</code> 
Modify shortcode attributes before WP_Query is run. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_default_shortcode</code> 
Customize the default shortcode used when auto-inserting view count into post content. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_count]</code> auto-insert 
Params: <code>string $shortcode</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_auto_insert_enabled</code> 
Control whether auto-insert is enabled for a given context. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_count]</code> auto-insert 
Params: <code>bool $enabled</code>, <code>string $position</code>, <code>string $post_type</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_engagement_meta_keys</code> 
Change the meta keys used to retrieve <code>like</code> and <code>share</code> counts when calculating engagement quality. 
Applies to: Engagement algorithm 
Params: <code>array $meta_keys</code> (<code>likes</code>, <code>shares</code>), <code>int $post_id</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_post_types</code> 
Override the list of post types used by the Trending cron calculation. 
Applies to: Cron Trending 
Params: <code>array $post_types</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_component_weights</code> 
Adjust weights for Trending score components. 
Applies to: Trending algorithm 
Params: <code>array $weights</code> (<code>velocity</code>, <code>engagement</code>, <code>freshness</code>, <code>momentum</code>)
<h3>Template Override</h3>
To customize output layout, copy any template file into your theme:
Example: <code>your-theme/init-view-count/view-list-grid.php</code>
<h3>License</h3>
This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later. 
You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the same license.

Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API

Count post views accurately via REST API with customizable display. Lightweight, fast, and extensible. Includes shortcode with multiple layouts.

WordPress Stats View Counter vs Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API