Image Watermark vs Protect Uploads
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
Image Watermark leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #857, ahead of Protect Uploads at #918. Over the last 7 days Image Watermark slipped 2 places and Protect Uploads climbed 4 places. Image Watermark has the largest install base, roughly 1.3× the next: 40K+ active installs against 30K+ for Protect Uploads. Downloads this week: Protect Uploads 7,033 and Image Watermark 1,079. Ratings: Image Watermark 4.2★ from 288 and Protect Uploads 4.8★ from 12 reviews.
| Metric | Image Watermark | Protect Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #857 ▼ 2 | #918 ▲ 4 |
| Active installs | 40K+ | 30K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,079 | 7,033 |
| Rating | 4.2★ (288) | 4.8★ (12) |
| Last updated | Jul 11, 2026 | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.0.12 | 0.7.1 |
| Best rank on record | #853 | #917 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2013 | Mar 2015 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 1 | 0 |
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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- Protect Uploads vs Kadence Security Basic
- Protect Uploads vs NinjaFirewall (WP Edition)
- Protect Uploads vs Zero Spam for WordPress
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Image Watermark or Protect Uploads?
By active installs, Image Watermark: 40K+ sites run it against 30K+ for Protect Uploads, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 14, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Image Watermark or Protect Uploads?
Image Watermark, at #857 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Protect Uploads at #918. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Image Watermark or Protect Uploads 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.