WP Media Categories
by John James Jacoby · Media
Also makes 28 other plugins · 331.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Organize Media Library attachments with categories and filter them in list and grid views.
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Health
A 87/100
Few reviews
Active installs
800+
≈850 estimated
Momentum
+120%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “attachments” and “library” for “organize media” and “organize media library”. “attachments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “organize media” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “library” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “organize media library” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
87 health vs 62 average across 3,284 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.5%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 22.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,319 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 3 releases 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
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 46 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.16★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
19%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| media categories | #5 | #15 | down 1 |
| organize media | #10 | #20 | 0 |
| organize media library | #10 | #17 | up 1 |
| categories your tag | #13 | #22 | up 1 |
| media library categories | #11 | #18 | down 1 |
| organization your tag | #19 | #22 | down 2 |
| media organization | #9 | #14 | 0 |
| media library category | #17 | #24 | down 1 |
| list categories | #19 | #23 | 0 |
| media grid | #24 | #23 | down 2 |
| attachments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| library your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
23 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 10 listed. 13 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
- Swap “attachments” and “library” for “organize media” and “organize media library”. “attachments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “organize media” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “library” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “organize media library” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “categories”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.1K · 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
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v2.2.1 · 16 Sep 2026
3
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “800+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 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 24 Mar 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ shawfactor5.9y ago
Good plugin, does the job,
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Knut Sparhell6.0y ago
When you need media “folders”, like for images or photos, this is the plugin. Works out of the box. Let’s a developer add tax queries, as for post. Then very powerful.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manuelbeck6.7y ago
I can filter in list-/grid-view in the normal media-view. But can’t filter when selecting an image in a page or product.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ visnevskis7.8y ago
As a proof of concept it does work, but user has type categories manually upon file upload and there is no category filtering in media insertion dialog, which kind’a would be the point of having categories.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cedric7078.1y ago
Hey John, So many thanks for your work on the free plugins ! There is one thing on that one that would be great in furture updates : Having a dropdown with the existing categories when you upload a media file. For now, there is only a blank category field where you need to type in the slug of the category you want to add to the media (ie you need to know the slug). Cheers !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ snuskin9.8y ago
It would be better if you add possibility to show translation of your plugin. May be something like this load_plugin_textdomain(‘wp-media-categories’, false, basename(dirname(__FILE__)) . ‘/lang/’);
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kevin Hoffman11.0y ago
Everything about this plugin feels native to WordPress. Filtering your view within the Media Library works exactly how you would expect if you’re familiar with filtering posts by category. I also appreciate that the terms are stored in the database in a way that is consistent with all other taxonomies. Great plugin with a singular purpose.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.2.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
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 HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.4.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 10 languages, 6 at 90% or more
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Organize Media Library attachments with categories and filter them in list and grid views."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 364 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "organization" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-03-20 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-19 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-18 900+ → 800+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-03-16 800+ → 900+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-15 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-14 800+ → 900+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2026-03-04 900+ → 800+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-03-03 800+ → 900+ up after 4 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).
-
Media Library Categories 20K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A -
F4 Media Taxonomies 1K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Media Library Assistant 70K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A - U Unique Headers 10K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A
-
Media Deduper 9K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Media Categories into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-media-categories" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Media Categories — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Media Categories: 800+ active installs, 4.6★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-media-categories
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