28
Image Optimizer – Optimize Images and Convert to WebP or AVIF
Avoid this one unless you enjoy broken layouts and empty wallets.
DecliningPoor rating
28/100
Users report site breaking bugs and feel cheated by a deceptive credit system and a strict no refund policy.
Active installs
~1.5 million
our estimate · wp.org shows 1.0M+
Rating
1.6★
74 ratings
Trend · vs a year ago
-11%
Declining
8,137 → 7,216 installs/day
What to watch out for
- MAJORverified rating is 1.55★
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
Declining · -11% in the last year
8,137/day a year ago→7,216/day today
Reviews
what people actually sayImage Optimizer by Elementor is a plugin with a deeply troubled reputation, offering genuine compression and modern format support in theory, but undermined by site-breaking bugs, aggressive upselling, a no-refund policy, and bulk optimization failures that leave paying users with no recourse.
What people like
- +Supports modern formats like AVIF with meaningful file size reductions reported by some users×2
- +Easy initial setup and smooth experience within the free trial quota×2
Common complaints
- −Plugin breaks websites on activation or after WordPress updates, causing layout and admin panel failures×4
- −Bulk optimization is non-functional or gets stuck in 'pending' indefinitely for multiple users×2
- −No refund policy leaves paying users stranded when the plugin fails to work after purchase×2
- −Free quota of 200 credits counts all image sizes (thumbnails, etc.), making it deplete extremely fast and feeling deceptive×2
- −Requires Elementor Pro connection despite being advertised as compatible with the free version
- −Aggressive and persistent prompts to rate/review the plugin inside the media library with no permanent dismiss option
- −Compression quality is poor in some cases, with minimal file size savings despite low quality settings
- −Support requests access to the user's site instead of offering refunds, raising privacy and security concerns
- −Plugin is perceived as prioritizing revenue extraction over delivering value, with a push toward premium upgrades×2
Review trustMostly organic
- 1.55★Verified rating — holds steady vs the raw 1.60★
- 24%One-shot reviewers — most reviewers are active community members
- past spikeReview timing — up to 26% of all reviews landed in a single month
Reviews per month · 5★ vs lower
2024-02-152025-04-102026-06-04
5★ reviews1–4★ reviews
All-time ratings · 74 total
Latest reviews · 74 analyzed
- 2026-05-10★★★★★extortion (Article 312.1 of the French Penal Code)pastourel1-shot
- 2026-04-27★★★★★Poor user experiencejasion8971-shot
- 2026-03-11★★★★★Decent Optimizerriana71
- 2026-03-07★★★★★ottimizzazione e conversione in webp molto buonaFilippo Battaiola
- 2026-02-16★★★★★All media optimised in one clicktomz99
- 2026-02-12★★★★★Including all photo sizes in the 200 free photo limitmiracozel
- 2026-01-22★★★★★It's just badsuup10
- 2026-01-21★★★★★Don't usehacktronics
- 2026-01-06★★★★★Breaks Post Editing with Javascript Console ErrorsAndrew Tegenkamp
- 2025-12-17★★★★★Don't Usemarkjamesford1-shot
Releases
recent versions from WordPress.org SVNAlternatives to Image Optimizer
Top Media plugins, ranked by score.For 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.
6,357
Baseline · median of last 7 organic days
6,184
Prior 7-day baseline
5,029
Floor · 25th percentile over 14 days
158,961
Mean release-day peak (30d)
68,637
Latest day · 2026-06-03(spike)
+2.8%
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.
26%
Max month share · biggest single 30-day window
1.38
Distribution CV · <0.6 even, >1.5 bursty
11%
5★ share in analyzed sample
24%
Solo reviewers · only this one wp.org activity
-39%
Volume velocity · last 6mo vs prior 6mo
1.64 → 1.55★
Sample avg · raw → solo-filtered