Featured Galleries
by Andy Mercer · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 1 other plugin · 3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Do you like giving posts a Featured Image? Try out a Featured Gallery. It's like a Featured Images ... except as many images as you want.
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 49/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+45%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “backend” and “featured” 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.
49 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.8%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 38.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.9.35, 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 3012 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 20 reviews, smoothed to 4.27★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3012 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 | ||
| backend your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| featured your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| galleries your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| images 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”, “backend” and “featured” 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 336 · 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
8.3y ago
latest release · v2.1.0 · 2 Aug 2018
27
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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 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 1 Oct 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ kirat145.4y ago
Thanks for sharing this plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Carlos Kaval7.7y ago
Awesome!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ i4nd907.7y ago
So glad I’ve discovered this, there are so many bad sliders out there I was driven to make my own too. This plugin does all the heavy lifting for me.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chrisvwlc8.4y ago
Cannot select multiple images upon clicking create featured gallery button – can only choose one.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ monoentrenado8.9y ago
Works as described, pre-built cpt support
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hydrozowa9.3y ago
Thanks… Saved time 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jgangso9.4y ago
What I like: – just plain and clean backend implementation, no sample galleries etc. – hook to define which post types can have Media Gallery – hooks to define context and priority for the meta box on admin UI – strings are translatable (just missing .pot file) – the UI is consistent with WP backend UI – simple documentation on the plugin page What I miss: – .pot file (I might contribute soon 🙂 ) This topic was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by jgangso.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mlutz9.7y ago
Works fine and easy to use Thank you
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.1.0 Enhancement: Switched multi-select type from Library to Gallery. You no longer have to hold the SHIFT or CONTROL/COMMAND keys to select multiple items. To restore the old behavior, use the new fg_use_legacy_selection fil 2.1.0
- — Version 2.0.1 Bugfix: Don’t run plugin logic on old versions of PHP that are incompatible. 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0.0 Under the Hood: Complete rewrite top to bottom of all PHP and Javascript. Enhancement: Improved admin preview styles to show more thumbnails in less space. Enhancement: Added documentation for public API function into Re 2.0.0
- — Version 1.7.1 Added missing stylesheet to hide sidebar. 1.7.1
- — Version 1.7.0 Added filter to allow themes to show the sidebar in the media manager instance created by Featured Galleries (Sidebar is hidden by default). 1.7.0
- — Version 1.6.0 Improved CSS styling of the backend gallery inside the metabox. Metabox is now more responsive, per request. 1.6.0
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 104 languages, 8 at 90% or more
Plus 80 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 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 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 4 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 6 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,362 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-05 4K+ → 3K+ down after 316 days in tier
- 2025-03-26 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-03-25 4K+ → 5K+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2025-03-20 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-03-19 4K+ → 5K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-03-17 5K+ → 4K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-03-16 4K+ → 5K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-03-13 5K+ → 4K+ down after 528 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).
-
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
SEO Friendly Images 10K+ installs · 3.2★ · 2 shared tags D - D Daddy Plus 8K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
- R Require Featured Image 3K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
- B Better REST API Featured Images 2K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Avantex Companion 1K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Featured Galleries into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/featured-galleries" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Featured Galleries — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Featured Galleries: 3K+ active installs, 4.7★ (20 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/featured-galleries
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