Donation Thermometer
by Rob Miller
A free shortcode thermometer that shows progress toward a fundraising goal.
This link may earn us a commission. It never changes our rating.
What Donation Thermometer does
A free shortcode thermometer that shows progress toward a fundraising goal.
It sits in the donations part of a WordPress stack and is sold by Rob Miller on a free basis. We recommend it in our donations guides because it does that one job well without asking you to rebuild the rest of the site around it.
Every plugin adds work to a page request, so treat this as a decision with a cost. Record a speed test before you install it and run the same test afterwards, on the same page, so you know exactly what it charged you.
Real user ratings
Score
4.4/5
Reviews
12
Active installs
2,000+
Downloads
106K
Latest version
2.2.11
Last updated
2026-09-09
These figures come straight from the public WordPress.org plugin directory API for version 2.2.11, not from us. Check them yourself on the WordPress.org listing. Our own editorial score is 4.5/5.
Where Donation Thermometer ranks elsewhere
Donation Thermometer does not appear in the published "best of" lists we track from WPBeginner, TechRadar, Kinsta, Themeisle and similar sites. That is not a mark against it - those roundups are short and skew towards the biggest names.
What changed in the latest version
- Fix for proper display of thousands separator using space.
- Bug fix on the Dashboard widget.
- Some improvements to the plugin code for security, efficiencies and reduced load.
- Moved the uninstall function out to a separate file.
- Fixed a bug when resetting CSS styles. Also added a confirm box.
Release notes are the developer's own words, published on WordPress.org. Read the full changelog
Pros and cons
- Free, light and easy to embed
- Free with no licence to renew
- Actively maintained and used on production sites we test
- Totals are updated manually
- Support is community-led rather than guaranteed
How to use it
- 1Connect a payment gateway and complete one real donation end to end.
- 2Set suggested amounts and enable recurring giving if it suits your cause.
- 3Customise the receipt email and check it arrives from your own domain.
- 4Add a progress goal so visitors can see momentum.
- 5Review donor records monthly and thank repeat supporters.
How it compares
Other donations plugins we recommend, with their rating and pricing model.
| Plugin | Our rating | WordPress.org | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donation Thermometer | 4.5 | 4.4 (12) | Free | Free, light and easy to embed |
| Charitable | 4.6 | 4.9 (217) | Freemium | No platform fee on donations |
| Charitable Ambassadors | 4.2 | 4.9 (217) | Premium | Supporter campaigns without a platform |
| GiveWP | 4.7 | 4.6 (707) | Freemium | Best donor management in WordPress |
| GiveWP Peer-to-Peer | 4.3 | 4.6 (707) | Premium | Supporter-led fundraising at scale |
| PayPal Donations | 4.0 | 4.7 (27) | Free | Simplest way to accept donations |
Guides that cover Donation Thermometer
7 Best Fundraising Thermometer Plugins for WordPress in 2026
A progress thermometer turns a fundraising target into a shared goal. It only works when the number is accurate, dated and readable.
Updated 10 September 2026
How to Create a Donation Goal Thermometer in WordPress
A progress thermometer should show a real total, in text as well as colour, with a stated calculation and an update time you can defend.
Updated 10 September 2026
Alternatives
Other donations plugins
Charitable
WP Charitable
Fundraising plugin with campaign pages, goals and donor management, and no forced platform fee.
217 reviews · 1.2M downloads · v1.8.12.3
Charitable Ambassadors
WP Charitable
Adds peer-to-peer and crowdfunding campaigns created by your supporters.
217 reviews · 1.2M downloads · v1.8.12.3
GiveWP
Liquid Web
A dedicated donation platform with recurring giving, funds, receipts and donor records.
707 reviews · 12.3M downloads · v4.16.8.1