Advanced Custom Fields: Real Media Library Folder Field
by Matthias Günter · Media
Also makes 4 other plugins · 3.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Media library folder field for Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). Folder created by Real Media Library.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
-12%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “media library folders” and “real media library” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
44 health vs 62 average across 3,299 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 10.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,324 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.4.25, well behind 7.1.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2405 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.4.25; the current branch is 7.1
3.7★ over 3 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2405 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| acf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| advanced custom fields your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| folder field your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| media library folders your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| real media library your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “media library folders” and “real media library” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 189 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 23 months ago; the previous band took 2 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 25 Jun 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ virgodesign9.3y ago
This plugin is really useful when using wp real media library toghether with acf. The latest version (1.1.2) works perfect.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ robertj_w9.3y ago
Bought this plugin hoping that it can manage files on the server physically, as the “REAL” in the name name sugests. It was not clear to me when I read the description. The GUI is pretty nice but the file management is purely virtual what means that in fact all files stored reside in native WP directories, eg. 2017/05. I removed the plugin from the server and tried to get refeund for my purchase. My request was withdrawn. It is a strange policy since you cannot even test the plugin within your own environment. Other developers give you at least 8 days to test the full version of a plugin before purchase. This topic was modified 9 years ago by robertj_w.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jon Dennis9.4y ago
Hi Matthias Great work on rewriting this plugin. Thanks for including the option to select more than one RML folder at a time, much appreciated. Keep up the great work! 🙂 … Thanks for the credit too. This topic was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Jon Dennis. Reason: Updated Review
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 3 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields, ACF.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 705 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "media library folders" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-12-12 300+ → 200+ down after 744 days in tier
- 2022-11-29 400+ → 300+ down after 719 days in tier
- 2020-12-10 500+ → 400+ down after 208 days in tier
- 2020-05-16 100+ → 500+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO 100K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced Custom Fields: Gravity Forms Add-on 30K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
ACF Field For CF7 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
ACF Theme Code for Advanced Custom Fields 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Advanced Custom Fields: Real Media Library Folder Field into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/acf-real-media-library-field" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Advanced Custom Fields: Real Media Library Folder Field — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Advanced Custom Fields: Real Media Library Folder Field: 200+ active installs, 3.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/acf-real-media-library-field
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.