Featured Image Column 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 #1,423, ahead of Featured Image Column at #4,601. Over the last 7 days Multiple Post Thumbnails slipped 3 places and Featured Image Column climbed 9 places. Multiple Post Thumbnails has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 10K+ active installs against 2K+ for Featured Image Column. Downloads this week: Multiple Post Thumbnails 265 and Featured Image Column 109. Ratings: Featured Image Column 4.5★ from 12 and Multiple Post Thumbnails 4.7★ from 42 reviews.
| Metric | Featured Image Column | Multiple Post Thumbnails |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #4,601 ▲ 9 | #1,423 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 109 | 265 |
| Rating | 4.5★ (12) | 4.7★ (42) |
| Last updated | Aug 14, 2026 | Nov 26, 2018 |
| Current version | 1.2.0 | 1.7 |
| Best rank on record | #4,594 | #1,397 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2011 | 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
- Featured Image Column vs XO Featured Image Tools
- Featured Image Column vs Column Shortcodes
- Featured Image Column vs Equal Height Columns
- Featured Image Column vs Make Column Clickable for Elementor
- 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, Featured Image Column or Multiple Post Thumbnails?
By active installs, Multiple Post Thumbnails: 10K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Featured Image Column, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Featured Image Column or Multiple Post Thumbnails?
Multiple Post Thumbnails, at #1,423 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Featured Image Column at #4,601. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Featured Image Column 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.