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WP Header Images

by Fahad Mahmood · Media

Also makes 45 other plugins · 27.7K+ installs across the portfolio →

A great WordPress plugin which helps you to choose a unique image for each menu page.

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

A 88/100

no flags

Active installs

4K+

≈5K estimated

Momentum

+26%

downloads vs prior 30d

Biggest opportunity: Swap “image slider”, “custom images” and “custom header” for “header”, “header banner slider” and “images”. “image slider” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “header” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “custom images” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #19. “header banner slider” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “custom header” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #15. “images” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.

How scoring works →
88 Health · A
Maintenance 100/100
Rating quality 83/100
Support 70/100
Security 98/100

88 health vs 62 average across 3,279 Media plugins

Install conversion

How it's measured →

1.7%

of downloads still active

At least 4K of 236.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,317 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.

This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.

Details

Version
2.1.4
Last updated
3d ago
Added
2015-07-03 · 11 yrs old
Requires WP
3.0.1
Tested up to
7.1.4
Requires PHP
7.0

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.

96 / 100

Excellent listing optimization

Well tuned across the board

Update recency 100/100

Updated 3 days ago

WP compatibility 100/100

Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer

Rating quality 84/100

4.4★ over 35 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★

Listing tuning 100/100

5 of 5 tags set · short description in place

Daily downloads

Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive

+26% vs prior 30d
10531 Oct 2026

30-day downloads

Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.1K · peaks are release surges

2K31 Oct 2026

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

WP Header Images · #3322youUnique Headers · #1471Smart Slider 3 · #78Slider, Gallery, and · #121

Rating trend

Star average over time · dips mark rough releases

4.431 Oct 2026

Health trend

Composite health score, snapshotted daily

8831 Oct 2026

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.

48931 Oct 2026

Release cadence

Occasionally updated
from wp.org release tags

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

1

releases in the last 12 months

3d ago

latest release · v2.1.4 · 28 Oct 2026

23

tagged releases on record

Recent releases

2.1.4 · 28 Oct 20262.1.3 · 25 Apr 20252.1.2 · 15 Jan 20252.1.1 · 4 Nov 20242.1.0 · 18 May 20232.0.9 · 10 Nov 20222.0.8 · 26 Sep 20222.0.7 · 31 Aug 20222.0.6 · 29 Mar 20222.0.5 · 4 Feb 20222.0.4 · 2 Feb 20222.0.3 · 7 Oct 20212.0.2 · 6 Oct 20212.0.1 · 5 Oct 2021

What its installed base runs

via wordpress.org

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 75% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

v2.1 75%
v2.0 12%
v1.9 5.9%
Older / other versions 7.2%

Estimated active installs

The public count shows “4K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.

tracked estimate
4K–5K ≈5K

Crossed into this band 7 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 5K.

Install history since 16 Aug 2015

4K31 Oct 2026

Recent reviews

All reviews on wp.org ↗
  1. ★★★★★ Chris
    4.1y ago

    I don’t know what the other reviewers are complaining about. This is a simple plugin that did exactly what I needed; set a default header image, and to be able to set special header images in any page. The first time I had a problem was almost 2 years after installation and use. The developer was responsive, and had the issue resolved very quickly. I was very impressed. Great plugin, highly recommend!

    Read on wp.org ↗
  2. ★★★★★ pe greme
    4.9y ago

    With the new theme version of Leftside this long working plugin did not fit anymore! The various header images were no longer displayed or the pages were shot with the codes provided in the plugin. With the default themes it works. Unfortunately the developer didn’t offer me any real support, but wanted access via FTP data or into the whole system. Despite sending me the theme and child theme data, I received no response. Too bad! So I switched to another new plugin.

    Read on wp.org ↗
  3. ★★★★★ chh123
    5.1y ago

    Nice Plugin and very professional support!

    Read on wp.org ↗
  4. ★★★★★ Terry L Colton, PhD
    5.7y ago

    Does not work and will go away with each update

    Read on wp.org ↗
  5. ★★★★★ Womenarts
    6.3y ago

    I am using WP-Header Images with the WordPress Twentyseventeen theme, and it works great. I am especially impressed by Fahad’s prompt and effective support. I sent Fahad a question by email and he responded very quickly and solved the problem for me via Skype. The CSS styling feature in this plug-in is especially useful.

    Read on wp.org ↗
  6. ★★★★★ Sergi Buyolo Freitas
    6.4y ago

    I was looking for exactly this using Karuna theme because I couldn’t change image header per page. It works perfectly with Karuna. Thank you very much.

    Read on wp.org ↗
  7. ★★★★★ starettie
    6.5y ago

    Great plugin. Works perfectly. Thanks also for the great support!

    Read on wp.org ↗
  8. ★★★★★ mehlmanmedical
    6.7y ago

    Didn’t work for me. Then has lots of tabs with code in relation to modifying your theme (I’m not talking about additional css; I’m talking about actual theme editing). If we wanted to deal with code and theme editing, we wouldn’t have bothered with a plugin. Removed this plugin after wasting 15 minutes of my time.

    Read on wp.org ↗

Latest updates

via wp.org changelog

Recent releases and news for this plugin

  1. — Version 2.1.0 Updated for WordPress version. [18/05/2023] 2.1.0
  2. — Version 2.0.9 Updated for WordPress version. [Thanks to Hundkurser i Stockholm][11/11/2022] 2.0.9
  3. — Version 2.0.8 Fix: Query by slug has been restricted to post, page and product post_type. [Thanks to Chris Cather][26/09/2022] 2.0.8
  4. — Version 2.0.7 Fix: Blog and default page header image conflict. [Thanks to kike86/perxas1488][31/08/2022] 2.0.7
  5. — Version 2.0.6 Mobile resolution related improvements. [Thanks to Chris Dale][29/03/2022] 2.0.6
  6. — Version 2.0.5 Mobile resolution related improvements. [Thanks to Tomáš Dvořák][04/02/2022] 2.0.5

Security history

via Wordfence Intelligence

The 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.1.4). Sites still on an older version should update.

  1. 2021-10-11 CVE-2021-24798 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.0.1 Patched in 2.0.1

Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.

CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.

Behavioral tests

via WP Hive

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8

✓ Low memory footprint
✓ Low page-speed impact
✓ Runs on latest PHP + WP
✓ No PHP errors
✓ No JS errors
✓ Activates cleanly
✓ No resource errors
✓ No external HTTP errors
✓ Optimized database use
✕ Frequently updated

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.

Premium

Share of voice

How often each assistant names WP Header Images when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.

Assistants
ChatGPT, Claude
Topics tracked
Image optimization
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Readme readiness

6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026

Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.

  • ✓ Says what it does "A great WordPress plugin which helps you to choose a unique image for each menu page."
  • ✓ Has a FAQ 12 questions in the FAQ.
  • ✓ FAQ asks real questions 9 of 12 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 Mentions WooCommerce.
  • ✓ Headings and lists 7 headings and 4 lists.
  • ✓ Enough to quote 2,432 characters of description.
  • ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("custom images", "image slider", "images slideshow" missing).

Growth timeline

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

  1. 2026-10-24 5K+ → 4K+ down after 92 days in tier
  2. 2026-07-24 6K+ → 5K+ down after 391 days in tier
  3. 2025-06-28 7K+ → 6K+ down after 360 days in tier
  4. 2024-07-03 8K+ → 7K+ down after 321 days in tier
  5. 2023-08-17 9K+ → 8K+ down after 2 days in tier
  6. 2023-08-15 8K+ → 9K+ up after 4 days in tier
  7. 2023-08-11 9K+ → 8K+ down after 1 days in tier
  8. 2023-08-10 8K+ → 9K+ up 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).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for WP Header Images into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-header-images" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Header Images — Plugin Pulse"></iframe>
Preview card ↗

WP Header Images: 4K+ active installs, 4.4★ (35 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-header-images

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