Category Featured Image
by Katsushi Kawamori · Uncategorized
Also makes 53 other plugins · 53.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Set a featured image for post by a category.
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
B 79/100
no flags
Active installs
400+
≈450 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: Add “termmeta” to your wp.org tags. You rank #10 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed it's a slot worth spending.
79 health vs 58 average across 25,738 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 400 of 21K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 77 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
2.9★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 3.87★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
32
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.8
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
8%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-1.0
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| category featured image | #3 | #12 | 0 |
| termmeta | #10 | #10 | 0 |
| category image | #22 | #23 | down 2 |
| multiple featured image | #15 | #22 | down 1 |
| remove featured image | #17 | #21 | down 2 |
| edit featured image | #20 | #21 | down 1 |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| featured image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
15 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 6 listed. 9 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Add “termmeta” to your wp.org tags. You rank #10 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed it's a slot worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 705 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
7mo ago
latest release · v2.09 · 29 Mar 2026
17
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 64% 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 “400+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.2 years 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 4 Jul 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ csquarent8mo ago
The plugin documentation is VERY CLEAR that setting a featured image for a category will overwrite the featured images for all posts in that category. This plugin is designed to do one thing and it does it well. Recommended! This topic was modified 4 months ago by csquarent.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ emilegutenkauf12mo ago
This is a very interesting plugin as i work a lot with categories. Never find a similar. But I have some suggestions: 1. To have the choice if you’re using more than one categorie for a post (For example I use for one Post the categorie: Year; Cycling; and Country). Sometime I put as Image in the Post an Image-Logo from the organisator for a sport event and sometimes a general Logo, 2. To have the choice to keep existing image in the section “set featured image” in the POST-Menu In General the fact to extend categories with features is welcome
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eyevisions2.7y ago
I was looking set one image per categorie in all posts. So this is exacly i was looking for, works good.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ glenneaton4.1y ago
Don’t try this plugin without backing up your website first. I set the category to an image, and it then sets every the featured image of every post in that category to the category image. I then deleted the category featured image and every post now has no featured image. Not happy! Now to restore my website.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ evenue4.4y ago
deletes the featured images of the posts in the category and inserts the image in all posts in the category in its place. Useless
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ liaris5.8y ago
destroyed my featured images
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ srinivas085.8y ago
As I can see some negative reviews here, thos are bcos those people might be unaware of what the plugin does. It sets category featured image as post featured image. And it did that perfectly. What I suggest is when we add category list using wordpress default category block in pages, If these category images show up there.. Then that would be amazing .
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Artlogika6.1y ago
This plugin destroyed all my featured images from all posts, I had to restored database, to have featured images again.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 2 languages, 2 at 90% or more
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 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 One audience phrase ("use this"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 764 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-08-29 500+ → 400+ down after 285 days in tier
- 2023-11-18 600+ → 500+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-11-17 500+ → 600+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2023-11-15 600+ → 500+ down after 385 days in tier
- 2022-10-26 700+ → 600+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2022-10-24 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2022-10-23 700+ → 600+ down
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).
-
Bulk Move 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D - R Require Featured Image 3K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Display Featured Image In Post List 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags C -
Require Post Category 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
Better Random Redirect 600+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags C -
Post Duplicator 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Category Featured Image into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/category-featured-image" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Category Featured Image — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Category Featured Image: 400+ active installs, 2.9★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/category-featured-image
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