ABOUT
WordPress engineer based in Pune, India. Building since 2013.
I am Ankit Panchal. I have spent the last thirteen years writing WordPress at production scale. Plugins, custom builds, performance work, and the kind of engineering that does not show up in tutorials.
I started contributing to WordPress core in 2013 with a German translation fix. That first commit turned into something larger. Today I am a Core Contributor across 14 releases, with plugins on 50,000+ sites and 2M+ downloads.
I work with agencies, product teams, and businesses scaling WordPress to production. Most of my engagements are with teams who have outgrown their current setup. Either their site is breaking under traffic, their plugin stack has gotten messy, or they need custom engineering that does not fit a standard agency scope.
I run three products alongside client work. MaintPress for WordPress maintenance. PluginStack for commercial plugins. WPFolks, a free WordPress community with 800+ folks. Together they keep me close to where WordPress is going.
THE PATH SO FAR
Thirteen years on WordPress.
2013
Started building on WordPress
Joined the WordPress community and started building plugins and sites with WordPress.
2014
Started building plugins
First plugin on WordPress.org. The beginning of what eventually became eight plugins and 2M+ downloads.
2016
First WordCamp
Attended my first WordCamp in Pune. Started showing up in person to the community.
2020
First contribution to WordPress core (5.4)
Credited as a Core Contributor for WordPress 5.4. The start of 14 consecutive release contributions through 7.0.
2020
Plugin downloads cross 1 million
Page Visit Counter Analytics + other plugins crosses one million downloads. Plugin work scales to commercial.
2024
Founded PluginStack
Launched PluginStack to bundle commercial plugins
2025
Launched MaintPress
Started MaintPress, a WordPress maintenance SaaS for agencies and businesses where downtime costs money.
2026
Founded WPFolks and joined WCUS organizing team
Launched WPFolks, a free WordPress community now home to 800+ folks. Joined the Web and Technology team for WordCamp US 2026, the largest WordPress event in the US.
13+
Years on WordPress
14
Core releases credited
2M+
Plugin downloads
30+
WordCamps attended
RIGHT NOW
What I am building today.
I am actively working on the WordPress MCP Gateway, a hosted service that lets AI assistants safely manage WordPress sites. Targeting agencies who manage multiple client sites. Beyond that, I am organizing for WordCamp US 2026 and running Folks Academy, the live learning side of WPFolks that launched in May 2026.
BEYOND WORK
Outside the editor.
I split my time between Pune and Ahmedabad. When I am not coding I am driving my Jimny, planning trips to Ladakh, or trying to grow vegetables. Gujarati is my first language. English is the one I write code in.
Want to work together?
Send a short note about what you are building. I read every message.