Add From Server
by Dion Hulse · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 100K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add From Server is designed to help ease the pain of bad web hosts, allowing you to upload files via FTP or SSH and later import them into WordPress.
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
C 57/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
60K+
≈65K estimated
Momentum
+29%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “import” and “media” 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.
57 health vs 56 average across 5,897 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.5%
of downloads still active
At least 60K of 1.3M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,190 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 5+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.5.24.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2024-09-04Reviewers keep calling it the fix for oversized or FTP-uploaded media that WordPress won't ingest, though several want folder structure preserved on import and one notes it's no longer installable from wp.org.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2151 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.5.24; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 239 reviews, smoothed to 4.51★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2151 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 | ||
| import your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| uploads your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “admin”, “import” and “media” 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 5.3K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
5.9y ago
latest release · v3.4.5 · 11 Dec 2020
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 88% 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 “60K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 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 27 Oct 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Sara Die Webmacherin2.2y ago
That “outdated 11 year old plugin that over 100k people still insist on using” (description from Github) still works perfectly fine and I haven’t found a good alternative. I would love to see a version update to make it available for installing directly from WordPress again.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ creativeartworks2.6y ago
Well, first of all, that plugin is amazing. Saved me for sure from unwanted hassle while importing/updating every day WooCommerce products.Daily about 1500-2000 products adding or updating, with average 12 images per product, and also about 6-8 technical documents per product (mostly pdf files), no importer was able to complete a single run. Having your plugin importing the images into the media library and then matching images, just did the job. All under 10 minutes ! As i said, that’s an amazing plugin, and it works fine on a well standing server (I’m on Lite Speed Server, MariaDB, PHP 8.4)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kissington2.7y ago
What’s the use of importing files from the server if you can’t import the folder structure they are in for organization? I expected the plugin to import files and auto-create a virtual folder in the library which is named after the original folder from the server. As it is, the files are imported into the media library and mixed with other files which makes it hard to locate and manage. You will need to re-organize them manually using a folder plugin like FileBird, which takes a lot of time. Not worth it. The first requirement for a plugin is automating tasks to eliminate manual work, otherwise its pointless….
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Martin Sauter2.9y ago
This plugin is not only helpful when you need a workaround for files which are too big for your upload limit, but also if you need to restore a website after something went wrong. The only feature I miss is a filter that allows to show only the original images (and not all the different sizes WordPress generates from each image you upload).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nicolasvsedeco3.4y ago
Great FTP for those not having FTP login access
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 208846093.8y ago
it is good plugin (Y)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Parapet3.8y ago
I wanted WordPress to recognize audio files I uploaded via FTP. This plugin did exactly that with no issues whatsoever.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ neotrope4.4y ago
This is awesome. Even with dedicated server and correct PHP upload size limits set, post limit size set, etc., WordPress media uploader could not handle a 380MB zip archive of music recording download. FTP no problem, but WooCommerce and media uploader just failed with unknown error. This worked first time, and did exactly what it said it would do. Wow. Talk about solving a problem! One of those stupid issues with WP and WooCommerce with large media files that is not a simple fix via wp-config. THANK YOU! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.4.5 Fix a fatal error when WordPress or PHP requirements are not met. 3.4.5
- — Version 3.4.4 Simplify the date handling 3.4.4
- — Version 3.4.3 Better handling for / as the root path Better compatibility with certain WordPress docker images Better handling for some empty folders 3.4.3
- — Version 3.4.2 Restore case insensitive alphabetical sorting 3.4.2
- — Version 3.4.1 Plugin now requires WordPress 5.4+ 3.4.1
- — Version 3.4 The plugin now requires WordPress 5.1+ and PHP 7.0+. No reason other than why not. Bumps the version to stop the invalid vulnerability warnings. Cleans up code. Removes the User Access Control. Any user with File Upload 3.4
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (3.4.5). Sites still on an older version should update.
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.6
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 57 languages, 26 at 90% or more
Plus 33 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
5 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 "Add From Server is designed to help ease the pain of bad web hosts, allowing you to upload files via FTP or..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use it"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WP-CLI.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 885 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin", "post" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-03 70K+ → 60K+ down after 285 days in tier
- 2025-06-22 80K+ → 70K+ down after 227 days in tier
- 2024-11-07 90K+ → 80K+ down after 234 days in tier
- 2024-03-18 100K+ → 90K+ down after 2148 days in tier
- 2018-05-01 90K+ → 100K+ up after 214 days in tier
- 2017-09-29 80K+ → 90K+ up after 574 days in tier
- 2016-03-04 70K+ → 80K+ 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).
-
Media Sync 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Bulk Media Register 8K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A - R Revision Control 40K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Reveal IDs 40K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - W WP Admin UI Customize 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Radio Buttons for Taxonomies 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Add From Server into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/add-from-server" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Add From Server — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Add From Server: 60K+ active installs, 4.6★ (239 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/add-from-server
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