Really Simple Gallery Widget
by Helen Hou-Sandi · Media
Also makes 5 other plugins · 5.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Simple widget for displaying images from the Media Library with plenty of configurable options.
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
Active installs
700+
≈710 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “gallery” and “widget” 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 62 average across 3,294 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 700 of 45.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,324 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 9+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.8.34, 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 3372 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.8.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.9★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.23★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3372 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget 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
- “gallery” and “widget” 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 170 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
9.2y ago
latest release · v1.4 · 9 Aug 2017
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 79% 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 25 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 700.
Install history since 22 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ muchfun9.1y ago
.. and I tried some … It works perfect, it is easy to use. Thanks for the work, Helen 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sonjoe10.0y ago
Such a great plugin. Unfortunately, no longer works showing pictures by the Specific Post/Page ID.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ felixhelix11.6y ago
Still works just as expected and doesn’t use any additional structures – just wp attachments.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mladen Gradev11.6y ago
This plugin has not been updated from 2 years, but it is still working great. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CodeFun12.5y ago
This works flawlessly. Simple, to the point and has the necessary options to make it very flexible.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous12.7y ago
Thanks for this plugin. Needed to find something that was really simple, you did it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous12.7y ago
Thanks for this plugin. Needed to find something that was really simple, you did it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ian.t.price12.7y ago
Would be nice to chose via category – a task to look into for me.
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 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 9 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 7 of 9 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("great for"); 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,197 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
- 2026-10-08 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-07 700+ → 600+ down after 13 days in tier
- 2026-09-24 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-23 700+ → 600+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-20 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-19 700+ → 600+ down after 273 days in tier
- 2025-12-20 800+ → 700+ down after 237 days in tier
- 2025-04-27 900+ → 800+ down after 1 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).
-
Widgets for Social Post Feed 600+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Smart Slider 3 800K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A -
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Really Simple Gallery Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/really-simple-gallery-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Really Simple Gallery Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Really Simple Gallery Widget: 700+ active installs, 4.9★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/really-simple-gallery-widget
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