NextGen NivoSlider
by Aldert Vaandering · Media
The NextGen Nivoslider plugin allows you to create a NivoSlider, using images from your NextGen gallery, with a simple shortcode or widget.
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈260 estimated
Momentum
+32%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “gallery” and “image” for “nivo slider” and “nivo”. “gallery” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “nivo slider” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “image” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “nivo” sits at #20 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
43 health vs 62 average across 3,286 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.7%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 27.7K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,321 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media 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 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.6.1, 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 4777 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.6.1; the current branch is 6.8
3.5★ over 8 reviews, smoothed to 4.02★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4777 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.
37
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 25d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 25d
+0.2
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| nivoslider | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nivo slider | #14 | #12 | up 1 |
| nivo | #20 | #16 | 0 |
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| photo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| picture your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widgets your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
11 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 3 listed. 8 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
- Swap “gallery” and “image” for “nivo slider” and “nivo”. “gallery” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “nivo slider” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “image” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “nivo” sits at #20 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 118 · 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 1 Nov 2026.
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
13.1y ago
latest release · v3.2.7 · 3 Oct 2013
7
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 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 57% of the way through.
Install history since 5 Dec 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ pradeepphule7.8y ago
This plugin does not taken title attribute in image which is bad for SEO. Also not working with updated version of NextGen gallery plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Murhaf Sousli11.8y ago
I tried the widget, I tried the shortcode .. both not working
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cwendt0112.9y ago
Works beautifully, exactly how I expect a NivoSlider to work! Thank you so much. 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ John13.1y ago
Does exactly what it says on the tin and does it well. Nice and configurable. Developer is responsive to making changes too. Very impressed!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ webrightnow13.3y ago
Sorry but this plugin is simply not working for me. There are several posts on the support forum mentioning that the images are not changing, but the developer is not really addressing the issue or saying he can’t replicate it. Going to switch back to jj nextgen plugin: despite its issues with transition effects, at least it’s working.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Piotr Celiński13.3y ago
Just does what you want. Great shortcode configuration.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ redkite13.4y ago
I’d been using another slider plugin for NextGen forever, it works but is a few years old. I tried this one this morning for widget sliders, and it works very nicely. It did take a few refreshes for the effects to show though, but there have been no other problems. I’ll be using this a lot in the future.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CdMonkey13.6y ago
Glad to see something done to make your life less busy. Installed it and it’s been working perfectly since the 1st second.
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 "The NextGen Nivoslider plugin allows you to create a NivoSlider, using images from your NextGen gallery, wi..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 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 7 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 7,911 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "photo", "widgets" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-27 300+ → 200+ down after 11 days in tier
- 2026-05-16 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-15 300+ → 200+ down after 399 days in tier
- 2025-04-11 400+ → 300+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-10 300+ → 400+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2025-04-07 400+ → 300+ down after 298 days in tier
- 2024-06-13 500+ → 400+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-12 400+ → 500+ up after 10 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).
-
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
LightPress Lightbox 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags B -
Easy Watermark 30K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags C -
WP Colorbox 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
Easy Image Collage 3K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for NextGen NivoSlider into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/nextgen-nivoslider" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="NextGen NivoSlider — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> NextGen NivoSlider: 200+ active installs, 3.5★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/nextgen-nivoslider
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