ReadNinja vs
Worth The Read
Worth The Read is the most feature-rich free reading progress bar plugin on WordPress.org. Here's how it stacks up against ReadNinja.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Every row is checked against the current public release of both plugins. Pro features of ReadNinja are clearly marked, and Worth The Read's unique strengths are honestly acknowledged.
Last updated April 2026. Spotted something wrong? Let us know.
Why choose ReadNinja?
Three things ReadNinja does that a feature-rich free plugin still can't match.
See the exact progress, live
Worth The Read shows a static reading time before the article. ReadNinja shows a real-time badge — percentage read or time remaining — that updates as you scroll. Configurable position, prefix, suffix, and reading speed.
Do something when they finish
Fire an action the moment a reader hits your target percentage. Reveal a CTA, scroll to top, or run a custom JavaScript callback. Worth The Read has no equivalent feature.
Find out what your readers actually read
Track reading depth and completion rates across your top 50 posts. No cookies, no personal data — just the insights you need to write better content.
When Worth The Read is enough
Worth The Read is the most feature-rich free reading progress bar plugin on WordPress.org. If you need a vertical bar, manual content delimiters ([wtr-end] shortcode), or a static reading time label above your posts — and you don't need Pro features — it's an excellent choice that costs nothing.
ReadNinja is the better fit when you want a live progress indicator (real-time percentage or time remaining as you scroll), per-post style overrides, or Pro capabilities like read analytics, threshold triggers, and advanced condition targeting.
Ready to give your readers
a clear sense of progress?
Start with the free version on WordPress.org. Upgrade to Pro the day you need analytics, threshold triggers or advanced targeting.
Free version available on WordPress.org · Pro from $19/yr