Category Featured Images
by Mat · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 810+ installs across the portfolio →
Set a featured image for all the posts of 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
D 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Open vulnerability
Active installs
600+
≈660 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “categories”, “images” and “post” 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.
50 health vs 58 average across 25,754 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.8%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 21.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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.
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 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.1.42, well behind 6.8.
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 4294 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.1.42; the current branch is 6.8
4.5★ over 11 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4294 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| categories your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| posts 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
- “categories”, “images” and “post” 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 182 · 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
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
11.8y ago
latest release · v1.1.8 · 29 Jan 2015
3
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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 65% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ prantikv9.0y ago
The plugin works. But the “last updated” date is more that 2 years ago. Which was preventing me from using this plugin. The developer needs to push an update.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pecktron200010.5y ago
I love this plugin. It saves time and adds a layer of flexibility to WordPress. Now a user can select a default image for categories without having to edit any code. As a developer, I don’t want the user to have to edit code so this is a great feature. Thank You! Not sure if this plugin is still being updated or if it was abandoned> I hope it is still alive 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sharaf398310.9y ago
how i can get a specific category image??? using php
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pandammonium11.1y ago
This plugin does one thing and it does it well. It’s easy to use, too: install, set up the default category images and forget about it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mokhtar-Taha11.2y ago
Very nice plugin, Category Featured Images
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hassanbhatti11.4y ago
Its really great plugin easy to use and support are awesome too
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Thamaraiselvam11.7y ago
I cannot add featured image for custom categories.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User11.9y ago
hai the plugin works completly great.is there any Option To make This work for Custom taxonomies Thanks for nice plugin
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.1.8). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- Open Medium · 6.4 Category Featured Images <= 1.1.8 - Authenticated (Author+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-09-22 CVE-2025-58655 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.1.8 No patch available
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 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 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 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,327 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "categories" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-26 700+ → 600+ down after 125 days in tier
- 2026-02-21 800+ → 700+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-02-18 700+ → 800+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-17 800+ → 700+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-16 700+ → 800+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-02-12 800+ → 700+ down after 200 days in tier
- 2025-07-27 900+ → 800+ down after 224 days in tier
- 2024-12-15 1K+ → 900+ down after 1507 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).
-
SEO Auto Linker 3K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C - W WP Image Borders 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Post Duplicator 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
List category posts 80K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Media Library Assistant 70K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - W WP Admin UI Customize 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Category Featured Images into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/category-featured-images" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Category Featured Images — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Category Featured Images: 600+ active installs, 4.5★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/category-featured-images
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