External Thumbnail vs WP Remote Thumbnail (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, External Thumbnail has a higher user rating (5/5 from 2 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 90). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Thumbnail has accumulated 4.6K+ total downloads while WP Remote Thumbnail has 11K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | External Thumbnail | WP Remote Thumbnail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5/5 | ◄ | 3.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 2 | ► | 8 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 90 |
| Total Downloads | 4.6K+ | ► | 11K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 9 years ago | ► | 3 months ago |
| First Released | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Age | 11 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.3+ | 4.4+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 5.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.2.1 | 1.3.2 |
Rating Breakdown
External Thumbnail
WP Remote Thumbnail
Download Trends
Recent Reviews
External Thumbnail Reviews
Works perfectly out of the box
I was using a different external images to thumbnails plugin, and it stopped working when I switched to apostrophe theme and installed jetpack. This plugin works for me.
Excellent
Works very well and with some other slide plugins too. With PHP 5.3.27 version, only first image of the post as thumbnail will work. With external custom URL will not work with this PHP version. I up
WP Remote Thumbnail Reviews
No reviews yet
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.