WP-Cycle
by Nathan Rice · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 37K+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin creates an image slideshow in your theme, using the jQuery Cycle plugin. You can upload/delete images via the administration panel, and di …
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 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “images”, “jquery cycle” and “slideshow” 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.
43 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.3%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 236.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,764 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 14+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.4.2, 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 5190 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.4.2; the current branch is 6.8
3.6★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.00★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 5190 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| jquery cycle 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). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “images”, “jquery cycle” and “slideshow” 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 316 · 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
14.2y ago
latest release · v0.1.13 · 15 Aug 2012
14
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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 21 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ silverlight00110.0y ago
Looks like this plugin has been left to gather dust – it does not appear to work with later versions of WP. Nathan has done many excellent plugins but I guess he’s had other projects…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ venuscreats12.8y ago
this plugin is great.but if we can add images from Add media section,that will be awesome.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Damjan13.3y ago
easy and usefull
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ John13.5y ago
Installed fresh on 3.5.1 and works fine.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Duncan Michael-MacGregor13.5y ago
Have used this slider for years on many websites, however due to it’s basic nature we are now moving over to using NivoSlider instead. WP-cycle is Highly recommended if you want a easy quick to set up slider.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hays.kelly13.5y ago
Works as designed. Would be nice to see better documentation, such as Make sure you set the image size, then upload the image. When the image is uploaded, it is resized to the size that you set.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ CWSites13.6y ago
I just downloaded the plugin, very easy to setup and get loading on the page. However the slider isn’t changing, it just stays displaying the static image. I went to the developer website and to the support form and got a 404.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Nimit Dholakia13.7y ago
This works really nice.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.1 Initial Release 0.1
- — Version 0.1.1 Added automatic defaults database insertion Added [wp_cycle] shortcode Buggy release, ended up reverting to 0.1 0.1.1
- — Version 0.1.2 Unreleased version, used for testing 0.1.2
- — Version 0.1.3 Added stable [wp_cycle] shortcode Added transition duration control to settings Added transition delay control to settings Added new options to the defaults array (for filtering) Changed some wording in the settings Upgr 0.1.3
- — Version 0.1.4 Added empty alt tag to images to pass vaidation 0.1.4
- — Version 0.1.5 Fixed the error that got produced when trying to loop through a non-array variable (duh!) 0.1.5
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 "This plugin creates an image slideshow in your theme, using the jQuery Cycle plugin. You can upload/delete..."
- ✓ 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 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 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 527 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-04 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-03 3K+ → 4K+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 4K+ → 3K+ down after 426 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 5K+ → 4K+ down after 260 days in tier
- 2024-03-15 6K+ → 5K+ down after 230 days in tier
- 2023-07-29 7K+ → 6K+ down after 228 days in tier
- 2022-12-13 8K+ → 7K+ down after 205 days in tier
- 2022-05-22 9K+ → 8K+ down after 168 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).
- G GPP Slideshow 200+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Autoptimize 800K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Smart Slider 3 800K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ installs · 4.3★ · 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 WP-Cycle into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-cycle" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP-Cycle — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP-Cycle: 3K+ active installs, 3.6★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-cycle
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