Custom Featured Image Metabox vs Multiple Post Thumbnails
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
Multiple Post Thumbnails leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,418, ahead of Custom Featured Image Metabox at #17,817. Over the last 7 days Multiple Post Thumbnails climbed 6 places and Custom Featured Image Metabox climbed 147 places. Multiple Post Thumbnails has the largest install base, roughly 125× the next: 10K+ active installs against 80+ for Custom Featured Image Metabox. Downloads this week: Multiple Post Thumbnails 385 and Custom Featured Image Metabox 15.
| Metric | Custom Featured Image Metabox | Multiple Post Thumbnails |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #17,817 ▲ 147 | #1,418 ▲ 6 |
| Active installs | 80+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 15 | 385 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.7★ (42) |
| Last updated | Jan 1, 2015 | Nov 26, 2018 |
| Current version | 1.0.1 | 1.7 |
| Best rank on record | #17,759 | #1,397 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2014 | Jun 2010 |
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
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- Multiple Post Thumbnails vs Auto Featured Image - Auto Post Thumbnail
- Multiple Post Thumbnails vs Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
- Multiple Post Thumbnails vs Conditionally display featured image on singular posts and pages
- Multiple Post Thumbnails vs XO Featured Image Tools
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Custom Featured Image Metabox or Multiple Post Thumbnails?
By active installs, Multiple Post Thumbnails: 10K+ sites run it against 80+ for Custom Featured Image Metabox, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Custom Featured Image Metabox or Multiple Post Thumbnails?
Multiple Post Thumbnails, at #1,418 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Custom Featured Image Metabox at #17,817. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Custom Featured Image Metabox or Multiple Post Thumbnails 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.