82
Categories Images
A simple way to add images with a messy database footprint.
HealthyGrowing
82/100
The plugin works as promised but uses questionable database methods for storing images.
Active installs
~55,000
our estimate · wp.org shows 50k+
Rating
4.5★
86 ratings
Trend · vs a year ago
+279%
Growing fast
81 → 307 installs/day
Downloads over time
real new installs per day · release spikes shown separately from the trend2025-04-302025-08-082025-11-162026-02-232026-06-03
organicrelease spikerelease tailorganic trend · 14d rolling median
Growing fast · +279% in the last year
81/day a year ago→307/day today
Reviews
what people actually sayCategories Images is a simple, functional plugin for assigning images to taxonomies that generally does what it promises, but carries meaningful technical concerns around database hygiene, performance on large sites, and a lack of modern conveniences like a block editor integration or media library picker.
What people like
- +Works as advertised — assigns images to categories, tags, and custom taxonomies×7
- +Supports custom post type taxonomies×2
- +Image URL can be retrieved programmatically for use in templates×2
- +Useful for setting OG images on category pages×2
Common complaints
- −Stores image data in the Options table rather than term meta, which is considered poor practice and can slow down large sites×3
- −Removed image data is not deleted from the database — only the value is cleared; the option row persists until the term itself is deleted×2
- −No block editor block provided; using the feature in templates requires writing PHP code manually×2
- −OG/Facebook meta tag is not added automatically; requires manually inserting PHP into header.php×2
- −Adds an unnecessary top-level admin menu item instead of a submenu under Settings, cluttering the dashboard
- −Categories without an assigned image display a broken image placeholder rather than a blank space
- −At least one user reported all categories and post-category relationships breaking after deactivating and deleting the plugin
- −Reported slow image retrieval (~1.7 seconds per category) that could degrade performance on large datasets
- −No media library picker — images must be entered without a standard WordPress media selector
Review trustReviews look organic
- 4.40★Verified rating — holds steady vs the raw 4.50★
- 7%One-shot reviewers — most reviewers are active community members
Reviews per month · 5★ vs lower
2023-08-192025-01-102026-06-04
5★ reviews1–4★ reviews
All-time ratings · 86 total
Latest reviews · 88 analyzed
- 2026-04-24★★★★★Works a treatxmagentur
- 2025-12-21★★★★★Super UsefulBonnie Walker
- 2025-03-16★★★★★Test before using + no blockLilGames
- 2023-10-05★★★★★Broke all my categoriesIn Touch Consulting
- 2023-07-28★★★★★Simply the Best Plugin in its category!G.
- 2022-10-17★★★★★Ok on WordPress 6.0.2Jon
- 2022-02-03★★★★★OG:Image for Facebookjglazer63
- 2021-11-30★★★★★Beware! Plugin uses the Options table, DOES NOT DELETE data when image removedtolkodelo
- 2021-09-17★★★★★Unnecessary menu itemWiliam Jose Koester
- 2020-12-06★★★★★Just what I neededGrabowski
Releases
recent versions from WordPress.org SVNFor developers & the curious
the raw signals behind the grade — none of this is on the friendly summary aboveDownload signals
Baselines are computed on organic days only — release spikes and their tails are excluded, so they're not inflated by the auto-update wave.
236
Baseline · median of last 7 organic days
245
Prior 7-day baseline
183
Floor · 25th percentile over 14 days
862
Mean release-day peak (30d)
237
Latest day · 2026-06-03(organic)
-3.7%
Week-over-week organic trend
Review signals
Concentration and drive-by metrics drive the review-burst and fake-review flags. 30–40% solo reviewers is normal; we only flag the extremes.
20%
Max month share · biggest single 30-day window
2.45
Distribution CV · <0.6 even, >1.5 bursty
77%
5★ share in analyzed sample
7%
Solo reviewers · only this one wp.org activity
—
Volume velocity · last 6mo vs prior 6mo
4.44 → 4.40★
Sample avg · raw → solo-filtered