AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild vs Default featured image
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Default featured image leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #663, ahead of AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild at #1,038. Default featured image has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 60K+ active installs against 30K+ for AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild. Ratings: AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild 4.8★ from 90 and Default featured image 4.8★ from 68 reviews.
| Metric | AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild | Default featured image |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,038 ▬ | #663 ▬ |
| Active installs | 30K+ | 60K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | — | 831 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (90) | 4.8★ (68) |
| Last updated | Sep 12, 2026 | Jun 17, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.2.1 | 1.8.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,028 | #656 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2009 | Dec 2012 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
- AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild vs ImageMagick Engine
- AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild vs Conditionally display featured image on singular posts and pages
- AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild vs XO Featured Image Tools
- AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild vs Perfect Images: Regenerate Thumbnails, Image Sizes, WebP & AVIF
- Default featured image vs Easy Watermark
- Default featured image vs Phoenix Media Rename
- Default featured image vs Multiple Post Thumbnails
- Default featured image vs Image Aspect Ratio Crop Field for Advanced Custom Fields
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild or Default featured image?
By active installs, Default featured image: 60K+ sites run it against 30K+ for AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild or Default featured image?
Default featured image, at #663 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild at #1,038. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild or Default featured image alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.