External Thumbnail vs WP Remote Thumbnail
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
External Thumbnail leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,363, ahead of WP Remote Thumbnail at #19,215. Over the last 7 days External Thumbnail climbed 3 places and WP Remote Thumbnail slipped 84 places. External Thumbnail has the largest install base, roughly 333× the next: 20K+ active installs against 60+ for WP Remote Thumbnail. Downloads this week: External Thumbnail 89 and WP Remote Thumbnail 20. Ratings: External Thumbnail 5★ from 2 and WP Remote Thumbnail 3.5★ from 8 reviews.
| Metric | External Thumbnail | WP Remote Thumbnail |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,363 ▲ 3 | #19,215 ▼ 84 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 60+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 89 | 20 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 3.5★ (8) |
| Last updated | Jun 17, 2016 | Aug 31, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.2.1 | 1.3.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,363 | #18,557 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2015 | Feb 2014 |
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
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, External Thumbnail or WP Remote Thumbnail?
By active installs, External Thumbnail: 20K+ sites run it against 60+ for WP Remote Thumbnail, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 19, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, External Thumbnail or WP Remote Thumbnail?
External Thumbnail, at #1,363 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with WP Remote Thumbnail at #19,215. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are External Thumbnail or WP Remote Thumbnail 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.