Simple Slider
by ChrisHurst · Media
Also makes 20 other plugins · 1.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Create and Manage simple slideshows using images in WordPress media system
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 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
70+
≈79 estimated
Momentum
+21%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “gallery”, “image” and “images” 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.
50 health vs 62 average across 3,280 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.5%
of downloads still active
At least 70 of 14.5K lifetime downloads are still running, below 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.
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 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, 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 4859 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 6.8
3.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 3.98★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4859 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 | ||
| image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| slider your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| slideshow your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 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
- “gallery”, “image” and “images” 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 1 Nov 2024 · 730 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 112 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #18,200 to #19,000, alongside the other plugins at 70+ 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.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “70+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 80.
Install history since 15 Sep 2026
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.2.4). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2021-11-22 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 1.1 Patched in 1.1
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Create and Manage simple slideshows using images in WordPress media system"
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Plugin doesn’t work …").
- ! 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 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 618 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "gallery" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-13 80+ → 70+ down after 27 days in tier
- 2026-09-16 70+ → 80+ up
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).
-
Smart Slider 3 800K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags B - S Simple Lightbox 100K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A
-
AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A - W WOW Slider 3K+ installs · 3.1★ · 3 shared tags F
-
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Slider into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-slider" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Slider — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Slider: 70+ active installs, 3.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-slider
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.