GIF Animation Preview
by SubZtep · Uncategorized
Replace GIF animations to a static preview image
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
300+
≈350 estimated
Momentum
+20%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “gif” and “images” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.4%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 21.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.0.38, well behind 7.1.
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 3879 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.0.38; the current branch is 7.1
4.6★ over 11 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3879 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gif 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. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “gif” and “images” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 117 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ 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 1 Nov 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
10.6y ago
latest release · v1.10.3 · 21 Mar 2016
17
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 “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 months ago; the previous band took 13 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Jun 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ worldless9.5y ago
Just logged in to give this plugin 5 stars. it’s exactly what I had in mind. such an incredible work. it’s totally compatible with 4.7.4 …
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Flector9.8y ago
better then other gif-player plugins.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ visionevo10.7y ago
Mostly does all of what it says it can do. One thing I noticed is that the lazyload does not work, at least with my theme… the7.3 by DreamTheme. It creates the preview image with the icon but does not lazyload the gif. The gif still loads in the background regardless of any user interaction or plugin settings. Feature suggestions: Pause, stop and play icons. If possible, show the current frame of the gif when paused or stopped. Maybe speed up the transition for the preview image to gif animation. Ability to enable or disable on select post types and and pages. Also if possible, maybe an loading status… would be nice for large gifs. Prime the gif so that you don’t have to wait for the entire gif to load before playback begins. Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Eric Mueller10.8y ago
Works as advertising, and the code is really tight, too. Nicely done.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mcperson11.7y ago
Thanks for the plugin. Works like a charm 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ probiner12.1y ago
I see a lot of complains of the plugin not working and I myself had issues to see it work at start. That’s was simply because I didn’t use image tag: just typed in: https://domain/myimage.gif instead of <img src="https://domain/myimage.gif" /> With the first the gif still showed up, but plugin couldn’t see it. Great stuff!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ akis12.3y ago
I was searching for this months ago when 9GAG introduced it. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lukebrisbane12.5y ago
Has potential. Easily disabled to revert back if it doesn’t work. Will not give 1 star as I’m only speaking in relation to my site template/version. Give it a shot. Use with caution. Killed site layout, disabled all GIFs including ads.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
5 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Replace GIF animations to a static preview image"
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 7 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,189 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-07 400+ → 300+ down after 383 days in tier
- 2025-03-20 500+ → 400+ down after 290 days in tier
- 2024-06-03 600+ → 500+ down after 240 days in tier
- 2023-10-07 700+ → 600+ down after 271 days in tier
- 2023-01-09 800+ → 700+ down after 196 days in tier
- 2022-06-27 1K+ → 800+ down after 476 days in tier
- 2021-03-08 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1607 days in tier
- 2016-10-13 1K+ → 2K+ 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).
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for GIF Animation Preview into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/gif-animation-preview" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="GIF Animation Preview — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> GIF Animation Preview: 300+ active installs, 4.6★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/gif-animation-preview
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