Add External Media
by leemon · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 600+ installs across the portfolio →
Add external media to the 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 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+48%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “attachments” and “external” 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.
45 health vs 56 average across 5,902 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 18.2K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,193 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 5.3.27, well behind 6.8.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 3 reviews to 2018-04-24Reviewers say it does exactly what it promises, and the main ask is deeper integration with the standard WordPress media screens.
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 2546 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.3.27; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2546 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| attachments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| external your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| oembed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “admin”, “attachments” and “external” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 133 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ 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.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
7.0y ago
latest release · v1.0.5 · 13 Nov 2019
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 14 Aug 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ lucasbustamante8.5y ago
Great plugin, thanks! I just miss the feature of adding it directly in the WordPress Media
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marc Queralt i Bassa10.3y ago
We tried it and does what it says.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Richard B11.0y ago
Excellent plugin, especially for an early version. Does exactly what it says on the tin and allows you to add external media straight into your library for use anywhere. Would love to see the ability to add an external item from the Media > Add New page and also from fields like the ACF gallery which do use the standard WP interface. Good job!
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 124 languages, 5 at 90% or more
Plus 100 more locales with partial translations.
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.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description is 39 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 119 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin", "attachments" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-15 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-14 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-13 200+ → 100+ down after 15 days in tier
- 2025-03-29 100+ → 200+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-03-27 200+ → 100+ down after 467 days in tier
- 2023-12-16 300+ → 200+ down after 391 days in tier
- 2022-11-20 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2022-11-19 300+ → 200+ down after 2041 days in tier
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).
-
Media Deduper 9K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags C - A Add From Server 60K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
- U Unique Headers 10K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A
-
WEN Featured Image 3K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Attachments – Smarter File Management & Download Lists 3K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Organize Media Folder 2K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Add External Media into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/add-external-media" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Add External Media — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Add External Media: 100+ active installs, 4.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/add-external-media
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