Picturefill.WP
by kylereicks · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 50+ installs across the portfolio →
A Wordpress plugin to use picturefill.js to load responsive/retina images, mimicking the proposed HTML5 picture spec.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
40+
≈46 estimated
Momentum
+10%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “images”, “responsive images” and “retina” 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.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,739 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 40 of 10K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.9.40, 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 4473 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.9.40; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4473 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| picturefill your tag | #6 | #4 | 0 |
| images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| responsive images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| retina your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| retina images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “images”, “responsive images” and “retina” 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 79 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #21,400 to #22,800, alongside the other plugins at 40+ 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.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
12.3y ago
latest release · v1.3.5 · 3 Aug 2014
18
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 “40+”. 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 62% of the way through.
Install history since 24 Jul 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Shapeshifter 311.8y ago
From what I gather, WordPress Core will integrate components of Picturefill into the Core with a future release. It has begun here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/ricg-responsive-images/changelog/. In my opinion, seamless integration with the WordPress Media Library and Uploader will be extremely important for it to work right.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ brunokassss12.4y ago
Very good to create responsive images.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ thoughton13.0y ago
Worked out of the box. Only issue was my theme already used an outline on span elements, which resulted in outlines around the span data src tags this plugin produces. Easily fixed in my CSS by adding border:0 to div.entry-content span
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ anevaude13.0y ago
Very helpful author. If you’re having trouble, read the documentation or just reach out for help. 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Skogberg13.0y ago
Incredible easy solution for such a huge payoff. I’m very impressed, it just works! Maybe you have to override the default image sizes but that super easy as well. Every responsive WordPress site should use this plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Hal13.1y ago
Really good looking OO code, and extra nice to see good docs AND examples. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zefixhalleluja13.4y ago
There are a lot of helpful people with nice plugins around here – but kylereick, the developer of picturefill.wp, is unparalleled! The plugin now works like charm. Thanks again.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.2.4
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 1 Nov 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 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 14 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 7,387 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
- 2026-06-15 50+ → 40+ down after 56 days in tier
- 2026-04-20 60+ → 50+ down after 16 days in tier
- 2026-04-04 50+ → 60+ up after 66 days in tier
- 2026-01-28 60+ → 50+ down after 452 days in tier
- 2024-11-02 70+ → 60+ down after 182 days in tier
- 2024-05-04 80+ → 70+ down after 193 days in tier
- 2023-10-24 90+ → 80+ down after 225 days in tier
- 2023-03-13 100+ → 90+ down after 2 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).
-
RICG Responsive Images 2K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags D -
Disable Responsive Images Complete 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Retina @2x 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
Autoptimize 800K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
WebP Express 300K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Picturefill.WP into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/picturefillwp" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Picturefill.WP — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Picturefill.WP: 40+ active installs, 5.0★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/picturefillwp
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