Simple Image Widget

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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.

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.

7 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 6 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 92% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 14 months ago; the previous band took 2.1 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ Cyndi

   6.4y ago

   Nice to be able to choose an appropriate grid size.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ ryver

   8.1y ago

   Thanks for creating the simple image widget, it’s great! I was able to easily customize the template to finally display widgetized bootstrap cards the way I want.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ John-Pierre Cornelissen

   9.4y ago

   With the native image widget that has been introduced with WP 4.8 this plugin has become obsolete. Still, this plugin has served me very well, so 5 stars and thank you for that! This topic was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by John-Pierre Cornelissen.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ usability.idealist

   10.3y ago

   Excellent choice for developers. Uses the native WP functions, and thus automatically supports the new responsive image attributes (srcset / sizes) 🙂 The widget template is awesome fun; make it work with Bootstrap 3? No problemo, boss – just add the template to your theme directory, adjust the wp_get_attachment_image() call, and off you go 🙂 Similar to this: echo wp_get_attachment_image( $image_id, $image_size, false, array( 'class' => 'img-responsive attachment-' . $image_size . ' size-' . $image_size ) ); So, if you need flexibility and KNOW what you’re doing – go for it! cu, w0lf.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Trek Themes

   10.4y ago

   Fantastic plugin that I use on many sites

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ arnold

   10.6y ago

   Great Plugin. Very Easy to customize fantastic

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ mairag

   10.7y ago

   Great plugin and easy to customize.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ Bobthearch

   10.7y ago

   This worked fine with the latest version of WordPress, WeaverX Theme, and even PageBuilder. But without a way to center or otherwise align the images in the widget area, it just isn’t good enough for my use.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 4.4.2 Changed the widget name to “Image (Simple)” to differentiate it from the core image widget introduced in WordPress 4.8. 4.4.2
2. — Version 4.4.1 Added missing text domains. 4.4.1
3. — Version 4.4.0 Enabled selective refresh in the Customizer. Removed PO and MO files in favor of WordPress.org Language Packs. Prevented errors if the main plugin file is accessed directly. 4.4.0
4. — Version 4.3.0 Transferred to Cedaro . 4.3.0
5. — Version 4.2.2 Show media extensions in the post finder modal. Added Dutch translation. 4.2.2
6. — Version 4.2.1 Fixed a PHP 5.2 incompatibility that prevented the correct image from showing on the front-end. Fixed a debug notice when searching for attachments in the new find posts modal. 4.2.1

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3

Translated into 86 languages, 6 at 90% or more

Plus 62 more locales with partial translations.

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.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2025-08-29 20K+ → 10K+ down after 768 days in tier
2. 2023-07-23 30K+ → 20K+ down after 515 days in tier
3. 2022-02-23 40K+ → 30K+ down after 595 days in tier
4. 2020-07-08 50K+ → 40K+ down after 269 days in tier
5. 2019-10-13 60K+ → 50K+ down after 316 days in tier
6. 2018-12-01 70K+ → 60K+ down after 303 days in tier
7. 2018-02-01 80K+ → 70K+ down after 823 days in tier
8. 2015-11-01 70K+ → 80K+ up after 158 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).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Image Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Simple Image Widget: 10K+ active installs, 4.5★ (39 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-image-widget