GL Import External Images
by Asiqur Rahman · Content & Feeds
Also makes 1 other plugin · 710+ installs across the portfolio →
Import and insert images to WordPress Media Library from external URLs.
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
C 57/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
700+
≈790 estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “download”, “external images” 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.
57 health vs 64 average across 1,196 Content & Feeds plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →8.6%
of downloads still active
At least 700 of 8.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Content & Feeds plugin keeps 0.8%, across 864 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Content & Feeds plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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: Update recency
Updated 702 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 702 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| download your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| external images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| import your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media library your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
3 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 3 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
- “download”, “external images” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 513 · 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
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
1.9y ago
latest release · v3.1 · 29 Nov 2024
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 93% 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 “700+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 40 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 800.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ koultti11mo ago
Please continue supporting this plugin; it’s the best and only plugin for importing images using URL. I can’t live without it. Thank you for the great work; you’re an amazing programmer!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ elprofeJLuis1.7y ago
Es la mejor extensión para agregar imagenes externas a tus publicaciones, no es necesarios saturar tu servidor con imagenes, las puedes agregar desde la URL, excelente.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ashrafff1.7y ago
thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mortuj Alam2.0y ago
I was looking a plugin for import images from external sources and this plugin helped exactly what I”m looking for. This topic was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by Mortuj Alam. Reason: missing a word on title
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ MD IQBAL HOSSEN2.1y ago
GL Import External Images plugin is an excellent tool for anyone needing to regularly import images from external sources into WordPress. It’s intuitive, efficient, and a time-saver.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Vishnu Panji Pradana3.2y ago
Works very well on my website. It will be easier when import the image from external url.
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.
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
5 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 "Import and insert images to WordPress Media Library from external URLs."
- ✓ 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,163 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
- 2026-09-22 800+ → 700+ down after 361 days in tier
- 2025-09-26 700+ → 800+ up after 7 days in tier
- 2025-09-19 800+ → 700+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-09-18 700+ → 800+ up after 111 days in tier
- 2025-05-30 600+ → 700+ up after 63 days in tier
- 2025-03-28 500+ → 600+ up after 38 days in tier
- 2025-02-18 400+ → 500+ up after 76 days in tier
- 2024-12-04 300+ → 400+ up after 5 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).
- E Export Media Library 30K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Smart Auto Upload Images – Import External Images 5K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags A - A Attachment Importer 3K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
-
One Click Demo Import 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag B -
Imsanity 200K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Widget Importer & Exporter 200K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for GL Import External Images into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/gl-import-external-images" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="GL Import External Images — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> GL Import External Images: 700+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/gl-import-external-images
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