CW Image Optimizer
by Jacob Allred · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 380+ installs across the portfolio →
Reduce image file sizes and improve performance using Linux image optimization programs.
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
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
-5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “attachment”, “attachments” and “image” 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 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 70.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 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
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2016-04-14Reviewers with server access rave about the compression and the small footprint, while those on shared or managed hosting can't install the command-line tools it depends on and rate it one star.
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 4335 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.1.42; the current branch is 6.8
3.9★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 4.06★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4335 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| attachment your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| attachments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| images 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
- “attachment”, “attachments” and “image” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 214 · 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 21 Oct 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
11.9y ago
latest release · v1.1.10 · 18 Dec 2014
14
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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 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 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ksere10.6y ago
If you have console access to your server and you are able to install the prerequisites it works like a charm! Tested on a digitalocean droplet running Ubuntu.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Grzegorz.Janoszka10.6y ago
I have been using EWW, but it had so many options and it was taking too much space in my backups. This plugin is very tiny and does the same job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Robbie_berns10.9y ago
Installed easily, great compression
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ fmlcorporation11.1y ago
Great if you concerned about your privacy. The compression is done in you server with open source tools. The only issue that I had is that I had to disable the installation check. But the instructions in the README file were clear and the it worked great on my images. Not recommended for people who don’t know how to use Linux.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sajjadul11.6y ago
Simply does not work. Tried in my dreamhost VPS.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ danielsico11.7y ago
Bad plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ena-Mar11.8y ago
This plugin requires the installation of additional programs. Unless you run your own server you will not be able to do so. Most users on a normal hosting will not be able to access the linux shell of their server. If you have your own server give it a try. If not save the time and move on.
Read on wp.org ↗ - Read on wp.org ↗★★★★★ DominicLindner11.8y ago
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
3 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 "Reduce image file sizes and improve performance using Linux image optimization programs."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,458 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "attachment", "attachments" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-11-14 300+ → 200+ down after 59 days in tier
- 2025-09-16 200+ → 300+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2025-09-12 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-09-11 200+ → 300+ up after 64 days in tier
- 2025-07-09 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-08 200+ → 300+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2025-07-04 300+ → 200+ down after 358 days in tier
- 2024-07-11 400+ → 300+ down after 2 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).
- A Attachment Importer 3K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
Simple Image Sizes 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Image Watermark 40K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Auto Upload Images 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for CW Image Optimizer into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/cw-image-optimizer" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="CW Image Optimizer — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> CW Image Optimizer: 200+ active installs, 3.9★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/cw-image-optimizer
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.