PDF Gallery Viewer
by Sergio Comella · Media
Also makes 1 other plugin · 210+ installs across the portfolio →
A simple plugin that creates a responsive PDF gallery with live thumbnail previews and a modal PDF viewer.
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
B 83/100
Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈220 estimated
Momentum
+23%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “gallery”, “javascript” and “modal” for “pdf viewer”, “awesome gallery” and “viewer”. “gallery” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pdf viewer” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “javascript” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “awesome gallery” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “modal” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “viewer” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
83 health vs 62 average across 3,279 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.5%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 3.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,318 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.
This plugin shipped 6 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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: Support resolution
Updated 120 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
5%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf viewer | #13 | #19 | 0 |
| viewer | #24 | #23 | down 1 |
| responsive pdf viewer | #10 | #17 | 0 |
| awesome gallery | #23 | #24 | 0 |
| post viewer | #15 | #22 | 0 |
| responsive pdf embed | #16 | #19 | 0 |
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| javascript your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| modal your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| pdf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| responsive your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
25 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 6 listed. 19 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”, “javascript” and “modal” for “pdf viewer”, “awesome gallery” and “viewer”. “gallery” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pdf viewer” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “javascript” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “awesome gallery” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “modal” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “viewer” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 23 Apr 2025 · 556 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 349 · 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.
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
6
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v1.8.1 · 3 Jul 2026
11
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 38% 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 2 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 200.
At the current install trend, crossing 300+ in roughly 166 days.
Install history since 22 Apr 2025
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ghartwig4mo ago
This has worked very well for us. It’s great to not have to manually create thumbnails for a PDF gallery. They’re generated on the fly and look good. It works OK with the block editor so you don’t have to use shortcodes, though the block editor interface is not WYSIWYG, it gets the job done. I’d like some more customizing options but maybe they will come in the future.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manygold1.5y ago
I’ve tried several PDF gallery plugins, but PDF Gallery Viewer stands out for its simplicity and modern design. The real-time thumbnail previews using PDF.js are fast and accurate, and the Gutenberg block integration is seamless. I especially love the layout options—grid, list, and slider—which make it super flexible for different use cases. No server-side dependencies, fully responsive, and easy to use.Highly recommended for anyone who wants a professional and efficient PDF gallery on their WordPress site!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A simple plugin that creates a responsive PDF gallery with live thumbnail previews and a modal PDF viewer."
- ✓ 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 Mentions Gutenberg, Zoom.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,608 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "javascript" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-31 100+ → 200+ up after 222 days in tier
- 2026-01-21 90+ → 100+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-20 100+ → 90+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-19 90+ → 100+ up after 27 days in tier
- 2025-12-23 80+ → 90+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-12-22 90+ → 80+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-12-20 80+ → 90+ up after 29 days in tier
- 2025-11-21 70+ → 80+ up after 16 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★ · 2 shared tags A -
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
Sight – Professional Image Gallery and Portfolio 3K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
PDF Smart Viewer for Elementor 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags C -
VenoBox Lightbox 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
Smart Slider 3 800K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for PDF Gallery Viewer into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/pdf-gallery-viewer" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="PDF Gallery Viewer — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> PDF Gallery Viewer: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/pdf-gallery-viewer
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