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AI Featured image icon
Actively maintained Tested with WP 7.1 #6 in auto featured image

AI Featured image

One-click AI featured images using OpenAI, Stability AI, or Grok. Pro adds Gemini, Brand Kit, upscaling, background removal & unlimited bulk.

Active installs100+100+ tier
Downloads · 30d1.1K▲ +19.2% vs prev. 30d
Rating5/51 reviews
Health score75/100Good
All-time downloads6.1KSince Jul 2025
Support resolved—No recent threads
RequiresWP 5.8PHP 7.4+
Downloads · 7d301▼ -23.8% week over week
Our verdict

Solid choice

AI Featured image is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 1 week ago, and scores 75/100 on our health check.

  • Actively developed — last update 1 week ago
  • Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
  • Momentum — downloads up 19.2% vs the previous 30 days
  • Small user base (100+ active installs)
  • Very few reviews so far

How does it stack up?

Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support

Daily downloads

3774111Jun 30Aug 13Sep 27
Yesterday41
Daily average (1y)16
Peak day149Aug 24, 2026
Last 12 months5.7K

Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.

Rankings

Where AI Featured image stands today

WordPress.org search rankings

Live position in the plugin search, top 100
KeywordPositionCompeting pluginsCategory
auto featured image #12 1,490 Best auto featured image plugins →
featured image #28 4,342 Best featured image plugins →
Gemini #75 1,312 Best Gemini plugins →
image generator #23 1,849 Best image generator plugins →
openai >100 1,861 Best openai plugins →

Version adoption

Share of active sites per release.

  • 1.969.4%
  • 1.830.6%

Rating breakdown

★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

  • 5★100.0%
  • 4★0.00%
  • 3★0.00%
  • 2★0.00%
  • 1★0.00%

About AI Featured image

From the official readme · v1.9.8

Description

AI Featured Image Generator creates AI-powered featured images right from the WordPress editor. Click “Generate Featured Image” on any post and the plugin builds a unique image from your post title, chosen style, and optional custom prompt, using OpenAI, Stability AI, or Grok/xAI on the free plan, or Google Gemini on Pro.

Every image gets alt text automatically and an SEO-friendly filename based on your post title. Generate one at a time in the editor, in bulk, straight from the Posts list, or inline in your content with the AI Image Generator block. Everything is managed from one settings hub.

Video Walkthrough

Free Features

  • 3 free AI providers: OpenAI, Stability AI, and Grok/xAI (Google Gemini available on Pro)
  • OpenAI models: GPT Image 2 (default): excels at text rendering in multiple languages, visual reasoning, multi-object scenes, transparent backgrounds, mask-based editing, and up to 4K output
  • Stability AI: Stable Image Core with 16 native style presets (Photographic, Cinematic, Anime, Digital Art, Comic Book, Fantasy Art, and more)
  • Grok/xAI: Grok Imagine Image: fast and affordable at $0.02 per image
  • 21 style presets: Common (None, Realistic, Artistic, Cartoon, Minimalist), Creative (Sketch, Watercolor, 3D Render, Pixel Art, Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Anime, Technicolor), and Trending (Toy Figure, Miniature World, Claymation, Cinematic, Lo-Fi Cozy, Vintage Instant Photo, Magazine Collage, Paper Cut)
  • Custom prompts: plus one-click Generate Prompt from Content, which crafts an AI-optimized prompt from your post title and body (OpenAI and Grok free; Gemini on Pro)
  • 7 image sizes with GPT Image 2 and 2.5: square, portrait, landscape, widescreen 16:9, vertical 9:16, ultra-wide 3:1, and tall banner 1:3
  • 3 aspect ratios for Stability AI and Grok: 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16
  • Output control (OpenAI): WebP/PNG/JPEG format, compression slider (1–100), and Low/Medium/High generation quality (Extra High and Max on GPT Image 2.5, Pro)
  • Text control: allow or block text, captions, and words in generated images
  • Auto alt text: from the post title, the prompt, or a custom template with {title}, {prompt}, {style}, and {site_name} placeholders. with an option to preserve manual edits on regeneration
  • Bulk Generate: up to 5 posts per batch, 50 images lifetime on the free plan
  • Generate from Post List: an “AI Featured Image” column on the Posts/Pages list with a one-click Generate/Regenerate link, so there is no need to open the editor, and it doesn’t count against the free bulk limit
  • Inline images: the AI Image Generator block adds AI images anywhere in your Gutenberg content, with its own settings tab
  • Multisite compatible

Pro Features 🚀

  • Google Gemini: Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash), Nano Banana 2 Preview (Gemini 3.1 Flash), and Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro): up to 4K resolution and 10 aspect ratios
  • GPT Image 2.5 (OpenAI): GPT Image 2.5 Flare (fast, recommended) and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (best detail), with Extra High and Max generation quality and a one-click “Retry with Sunburst” button in the post editor
  • Image upscaling (Stability AI): Conservative (faithful 4x), Creative (AI-enhanced 4K), or Fast (quick 4x), right from the post editor
  • Background removal (Stability AI): one click isolates the subject and saves a transparent PNG as your featured image
  • Advanced Stability AI models: Stable Image Ultra, SD 3.5 Large / Large Turbo / Medium / Flash, SD 3 Large / Large Turbo / Medium, and SDXL 1.0
  • Negative prompts (Stability AI): exclude unwanted elements, e.g. “blurry, watermark, text, low quality”
  • Grok Imagine Image Pro: higher quality at $0.07 per image, plus 2K resolution
  • More aspect ratios: 9 for Stability AI, 9 for Grok, 10 for Gemini
  • More output formats: PNG/JPEG/WebP for Stability AI, and automatic WebP conversion for Gemini and Grok images
  • Unlimited Bulk Generate: hundreds of posts at once with filters for post type, status, date range, and thumbnail status, plus real-time progress
  • Custom post types: enable generation for any public post type
  • Custom styles: create named styles with your own prompt descriptions, available in every style dropdown
  • Brand Kit: save your brand colors, a style description, tone, and avoid-rules, plus an optional reference image (used by Google Gemini) and a logo watermark, applied automatically to every image you generate, with a per-image “Use Brand Kit” toggle to skip it

Want to unlock Google Gemini AI, image upscaling, background removal, unlimited bulk generation and more? Upgrade to Pro here.

Requirements

External Services

This plugin connects to your chosen AI provider’s API to generate images. For every provider:

  • Your post title and content (or your custom prompt, and for Stability AI any negative prompt) are sent to the provider’s API when you generate an image
  • Your API key for that provider authenticates each request
  • Requests are only sent when you trigger generation: from the post editor, the Posts list, Bulk Generate, or the AI Image Generator block
  • “Generate Prompt from Content” sends your post title and body to the provider’s text API: gpt-4o-mini (OpenAI), grok-3-mini (Grok), or Gemini 2.5 Flash (Gemini, Pro)

OpenAI (Free & Pro): image generation and prompt generation.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | API Documentation

Stability AI (Free & Pro): image generation; for Pro users, upscaling and background removal also send your existing featured image file to Stability AI for processing.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | API Documentation

Grok / xAI (Free & Pro): image generation and prompt generation.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | API Documentation

Google Gemini (Pro only): image generation and prompt generation.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | API Documentation

Data usage: generated images are stored in your WordPress media library. No personal data is stored by the providers beyond what’s necessary for API processing. You are responsible for ensuring your content complies with the selected provider’s usage policies.

Installation

  1. Upload the ai-featured-image-generator folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
  3. Go to AI Image in the admin menu to configure your API key and other settings
  4. The AI Image Generator block is available in the Gutenberg block inserter for adding inline images

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an API key?

Yes, for at least one provider. All free-plan providers have free tiers or pay-as-you-go pricing: OpenAI, Stability AI, Grok/xAI, or Google Gemini (Pro only).

How much does it cost?

The plugin is free; you pay your provider per image: OpenAI: varies by model and generation quality (Low is the cheapest); see OpenAI pricing Stability AI: Stable Image Core is roughly ~$0.003/image; other models vary; see Stability AI pricing Grok/xAI: $0.02/image (Grok Imagine Image) or $0.07/image (Pro model) Google Gemini (Pro): Gemini 2.5 Flash uses 1290 tokens per image; Gemini 3.1 Flash and 3 Pro vary by resolution

Can I switch between providers?

Yes. Select your provider and enter its API key in the plugin settings. The page shows only the options relevant to your selection. Free users can switch between OpenAI, Stability AI, and Grok/xAI; Pro adds Google Gemini.

Is there a limit to how many images I can generate?

Only your API plan’s quota with your chosen provider. The plugin generates one image per request.

What AI models are available?

OpenAI (Free & Pro): GPT Image 2 (default, with strong text rendering and visual reasoning). Pro adds GPT Image 2.5 Flare (up to 50% faster than GPT Image 2 with sharper detail) and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (the most detailed), both with Extra High and Max generation quality. Stability AI: Stable Image Core (free): fast, high quality, best value. Pro adds Stable Image Ultra (best quality), SD 3.5 Large / Large Turbo / Medium / Flash, SD 3 Large / Large Turbo / Medium, and SDXL 1.0 (legacy). Grok / xAI: Grok Imagine Image (free, $0.02/image) and Grok Imagine Image Pro (Pro, $0.07/image). Google…

What styles are available?

21 built-in styles that work with all providers: None, Realistic, Artistic, Cartoon, Minimalist, Sketch, Watercolor, 3D Render, Pixel Art, Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Anime, and Technicolor, plus the Trending group: Toy Figure, Miniature World, Claymation, Cinematic, Lo-Fi Cozy, Vintage Instant Photo, Magazine Collage, and Paper Cut. With Stability AI you also get a Stability Presets group of 16 native API-level presets: Photographic, Cinematic, Anime, Digital Art, Comic Book, Fantasy Art, 3D Model, Analog Film, Enhance, Isometric, Line Art, Low Poly, Neon Punk, Origami, Pixel Art, and Tile Texture…

Can I create my own custom styles? (Pro)

Yes. Go to AI Images → Settings → Brand & Styles → Custom Styles, click “Add Style”, and enter a name plus a prompt description (e.g. “in a dreamy impressionist style”). Custom styles appear in all style dropdowns and work exactly like built-in styles.

What is the Brand Kit? (Pro)

One global set of brand rules that keeps every AI image on-brand. Go to AI Images → Settings → Brand & Styles and save up to 3 brand colors, a style description, a tone, and avoid-rules; optionally add a reference image (used by Google Gemini to match your visual style) and a logo watermark with position, size, opacity, and margin controls. The kit is applied automatically wherever you generate: post editor, Bulk Generate, the Posts list, and the AI Image Generator block. The post editor, Bulk Generate, and the block each have a “Use Brand Kit” checkbox you can uncheck for a one-off image…

What image sizes and aspect ratios are supported?

OpenAI: 7 sizes with GPT Image 2 and 2.5: 1024×1024 (1:1), 1024×1536 (portrait), 1536×1024 (landscape), 1792×1024 (16:9), 1024×1792 (9:16), 1920×640 (3:1), and 640×1920 (1:3) Stability AI: 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16 free; Pro unlocks all 9 (adds 21:9, 2:3, 3:2, 4:5, 5:4, 9:21) Grok: 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16 free; Pro unlocks all 9 (adds 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 2:1, 1:2) Gemini (Pro): 10 ratios (1:1, 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 9:16, 16:9, 21:9): fixed resolutions on Gemini 2.5 Flash, 1K/2K/4K on Gemini 3.1 Flash and 3 Pro

Can I upscale my featured image? (Pro)

Yes, with a Stability AI API key. Once a featured image is set, a “Stability AI Tools” panel appears in the post editor with three modes: Conservative (faithful 4x), Creative (AI-enhanced 4K), and Fast (quick 4x). Conservative and Creative process asynchronously and may take up to ~3 minutes; the result automatically becomes your new featured image.

Can I remove the background from my featured image? (Pro)

Yes, from the same “Stability AI Tools” panel. Click “Remove Background” and Stability AI isolates the subject and saves a transparent PNG as your featured image, which suits product shots and portraits.

What is a negative prompt? (Stability AI, Pro)

Text that tells Stability AI what not to include, e.g. “blurry, watermark, text, low quality”. Set defaults in AI Images → Settings → Featured Images (and the Inline Images tab). Negative prompts have no effect with OpenAI, Gemini, or Grok.

What output formats are supported?

OpenAI: WebP (recommended), PNG, or JPEG Stability AI: PNG free; Pro adds JPEG and WebP Grok: JPEG free; Pro adds WebP (converted after generation) Gemini (Pro): PNG default, or WebP (converted after generation) Because the Gemini and Grok APIs return PNG/JPEG, the plugin converts to WebP using your server’s image library (ImageMagick or GD).

Why was my image saved as PNG or JPEG instead of WebP?

WebP conversion for Gemini and Grok needs a WebP-capable image library on your server (GD with WebP, or ImageMagick with the WebP delegate). If it’s missing, the plugin safely falls back to the provider’s native format and shows a notice with the reason. Generation never fails. Ask your host to enable WebP if needed. OpenAI WebP is unaffected because the API returns it directly.

How does quality control work?

OpenAI: Output Compression slider (1–100, default 90) plus a Low/Medium/High generation quality tier (Extra High and Max on GPT Image 2.5, Pro) Stability AI: quality is inherent to the model you choose Grok: 1K resolution free; Pro can choose 2K Gemini (Pro): fixed resolutions on 2.5 Flash; 1K/2K/4K on 3.1 Flash and 3 Pro Inline images (all providers): Automatic Quality Optimization picks quality and resolution based on the image’s display size in your content

Can I generate images inside the Gutenberg editor?

Yes. Add the “AI Image Generator” block from the Media category, enter a prompt, and generate images anywhere in your content. The block supports the same providers, styles, and aspect ratios as featured images; configure defaults in the Inline Images settings tab.

How does auto alt text work?

Every AI image (featured, inline, or bulk) automatically gets alt text in the media library. Configure it under AI Images → Settings → General → Alt Text: choose the post title (default), the generation prompt, or a custom template with {title}, {prompt}, {style}, and {site_name} placeholders. e.g. {title} - {style} style - {site_name}. By default, manually edited alt text is preserved on regeneration; enable “Overwrite on Regeneration” to always refresh it.

How does “Generate Prompt from Content” work?

Click “Generate Prompt from Content” in the post editor and AI writes an image prompt from your post title and body. It’s saved to the post and pre-filled in the Custom Prompt field so you can review or edit before generating. The same option exists in Bulk Generate, creating a unique prompt per post. Text model per provider: gpt-4o-mini (OpenAI), grok-3-mini (Grok), Gemini 2.5 Flash (Gemini, Pro). Stability AI has no text API, so the button shows a notice when it’s the active provider.

Does it work with custom post types? (Pro)

Yes. Go to AI Images → Settings → General → Availability, check the post types you want, and save. The generator panel then appears in the editor for those post types. Free users are limited to Posts and Pages.

Changelog

New for Pro: OpenAI GPT Image 2.5 Flare (fast) and Sunburst (best detail), Extra High and Max generation quality, and a one-click "Retry with Sunburst" button in the post editor. New for everyone: 8 Trending styles. GPT Image 1, 1 Mini, and 1.5 are removed (deprecated by OpenAI); sites using them switch to GPT Image 2 automatically.

1.9.8

  • GPT Image 2.5 (Pro): Two new OpenAI models, GPT Image 2.5 Flare (fast, recommended) and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (best detail), with all 7 GPT Image 2 sizes and transparent backgrounds.
  • Extra High and Max quality (Pro): Two new generation quality tiers for GPT Image 2.5.
  • Retry with Sunburst (Pro): After generating an image in the post editor, one click makes a new version with GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst using the same prompt and style.
  • Trending styles: 8 new free styles in their own Trending group: Toy Figure, Miniature World, Claymation, Cinematic, Lo-Fi Cozy, Vintage Instant Photo, Magazine Collage, and Paper Cut.
  • Removed deprecated models: GPT Image 1, GPT Image 1 Mini, and GPT Image 1.5, which OpenAI shuts down on October 23 and December 1, 2026. Sites using them switch to GPT Image 2 automatically.
  • Fix: The settings page now updates model-specific options (sizes, background, quality) as soon as you change the AI model.
  • Bug fixes and post editor improvements

1.9.7

  • Bug fixes

1.9.6

  • Bug fixes

1.9.5

  • Bug fixes

1.9.4

  • Bug fixes

1.9.3

  • Bug fixes

Full changelog on WordPress.org →

Screenshots

General settings: API configuration, AI provider, and AI model selection
General settings: API configuration, AI provider, and AI model selection
Post editor meta box: custom prompt, style picker, and Generate Featured Image button
Post editor meta box: custom prompt, style picker, and Generate Featured Image button
Generated image preview: AI-generated featured image set directly from the post editor
Generated image preview: AI-generated featured image set directly from the post editor
AI Provider selector: choose between OpenAI, Stability AI, Grok/xAI, or Google Gemini (Pro)
AI Provider selector: choose between OpenAI, Stability AI, Grok/xAI, or Google Gemini…
AI Model selector: pick from GPT Image 2.5 Flare and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (Pro), or GPT Image 2
AI Model selector: pick from GPT Image 2.5 Flare and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (Pro), or GPT…
Featured Images settings: default aspect ratio, style, and text options
Featured Images settings: default aspect ratio, style, and text options
Image size options: 7 sizes including Square, Portrait, Landscape, Widescreen 16:9, Vertical 9:16, Ultra-wide 3:1, and Tall Banner 1:3
Image size options: 7 sizes including Square, Portrait, Landscape, Widescreen 16:9…
Style presets: 21 styles organized into Common, Creative, and Trending groups
Style presets: 21 styles organized into Common, Creative, and Trending groups
Output format selector: WebP (recommended), PNG, or JPEG
Output format selector: WebP (recommended), PNG, or JPEG

For developers

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FAQ

AI Featured image: quick answers

Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.

Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026

Is AI Featured image free?

Yes. AI Featured image is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

Is AI Featured image safe to use in 2026?

AI Featured image is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 1 week ago, and scores 75/100 on our health check.

How many websites use AI Featured image?

AI Featured image is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 6,093 times since it launched in July 2025. It was downloaded 1,075 times in the last 30 days.

Does AI Featured image work with WordPress 7.1?

Yes. The developer has tested AI Featured image up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 5.8 or newer.

What PHP version does AI Featured image need?

AI Featured image requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.

When was AI Featured image last updated?

The latest version, 1.9.8, was released on September 19, 2026 (1 week ago).

Who makes AI Featured image?

AI Featured image is developed and maintained by Amr Issa.

What are the best alternatives to AI Featured image?

The most popular alternatives to AI Featured image are Auto Featured Image (Auto P… (40K+ installs), XO Featured Image Tools (20K+ installs) and SNY Auto Featured Image (1K+ installs).

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