Require Featured Image
by pressupinc · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 4.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Requires content you specify to have a featured image set before they can be published.
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 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
3K+
≈3.7K estimated
Momentum
+7%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “edit” and “featured 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.
44 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 99.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.3.27, 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 2510 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.3.27; the current branch is 6.8
3.9★ over 16 reviews, smoothed to 4.05★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2510 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| edit your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| featured image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 2 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
- “admin”, “edit” and “featured 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1K · 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
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
6.9y ago
latest release · v1.5.0 · 17 Dec 2019
35
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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 66% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Feb 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ramon fincken5.2y ago
Works on WP 5.8 with build in Gutenberg editor for CPT = posts When you remove the image the message re-appears
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ renathy7.0y ago
It allows to delete thumb image on existing posts. If I open post that already doesn’t have thumb image it doesn’t show any error message.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bullshark7.3y ago
at least in terms of hiding the button. Plz fix already.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ markman6417.8y ago
This plugin worked great, but no longer works with the new Block Editor
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ norbou8.5y ago
With this plugin activated you cannot use WPML translation editor and WPML translation management.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ daniel1990moscow10.0y ago
not worked
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lostrappoonline10.4y ago
Forces authors to choose a featured image, works as advertised.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ arista8010.6y ago
Very good plugin, but one major problem. We certainly want posts to not be published unless they have a featured image. However, we have authors with status Contributor who write text for their posts and “Submit for Review” when they are done writing. An editor then reviews the post and adds an appropriate featured image. The problem is that the plugin doesn’t allow the contributor to “Submit for Review” unless the post has a featured image. Ideally, the plugin should allow this, and only invoke the featured image requirement at the time of publishing.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.5.0 It was impossible to publish a post (which was never saved as a “Draft”) because of the server-side check. It is no longer. 1.5.0
- — Version 1.4.1 Fix to crude Gutenberg compatibility in JS 1.4.1
- — Version 1.4.0 Crude-and-quick Gutenberg compatibility 1.4.0
- — Version 1.3.0 Fixing an issue where the PHP didn’t stop the post from publishing, if it were invoked Fixing an issue where the size warning banner would flash on in Chrome erroneously 1.3.0
- — Version 1.2.3 Fixing an issue that would make the plugin seem not to work when newly installed. Adding composer.json and Japanese translation. 1.2.3
- — Version 1.2.2 Lots of code style changes for better readability and comprehensibility. 1.2.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 117 languages, 12 at 90% or more
Plus 93 more locales with partial translations.
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 27 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 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 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 3 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,142 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "admin" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-05 4K+ → 3K+ down after 521 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 5K+ → 4K+ down after 405 days in tier
- 2023-10-22 6K+ → 5K+ down after 336 days in tier
- 2022-11-20 7K+ → 6K+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2022-11-15 6K+ → 7K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2022-11-13 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1088 days in tier
- 2019-11-21 6K+ → 7K+ up after 352 days in tier
- 2018-12-04 4K+ → 6K+ up after 774 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).
-
SEO Friendly Images 10K+ installs · 3.2★ · 3 shared tags D - A Add From Server 60K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
- R Revision Control 40K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
- W WP Admin UI Customize 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Radio Buttons for Taxonomies 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags C - S ShowID for Post/Page/Category/Tag/Comment 7K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Require Featured Image into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/require-featured-image" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Require Featured Image — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Require Featured Image: 3K+ active installs, 3.9★ (16 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/require-featured-image
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.