The free plugin is built around single-image optimization — every Optimize with AI button runs one image at a time. There’s no built-in bulk runner, no select-all checkbox, no “run the next 50 images” queue. If you need to optimize a large library on the free plugin, you’re doing it row-by-row, paced against the per-user hourly limit. Pro replaces that workflow with a proper bulk runner — covered at the end of this page.
Free plugin = single image only
The image table on the free plugin doesn’t have a bulk-actions dropdown. Each row’s Optimize with AI button runs that one image. Selection checkboxes are a Pro feature.
The row-by-row workflow
For small libraries (a few dozen images) the row-by-row approach works fine — and it keeps you in control over which images get optimized, in what order. A reasonable pattern:
Sort by lowest SEO score first
Use the SEO Score sort toggle in the filter bar to bring the worst-scoring images to the top. Those are where AI optimization makes the biggest difference.
Optimize 10–20 images, review
Click Optimize with AI on each row. After a small batch, scroll back and skim the output — alt text, filename, keywords. Tweak anything that’s off so you catch tone problems early before running through hundreds of images.
Pace against the 100 calls per hour cap
The plugin allows 100 AI optimizations per user per hour, counted in a per-user transient. Filename saves sit in a separate bucket of 500 per hour. Those are the only two caps in the plugin — clicking through rows by hand rarely reaches either, but a script driving the same actions does. The cap counts optimizations, not provider calls: with Pro licensed, each of those 100 optimizations is three calls against your provider quota, because the caption and the description are generated separately.
Adjust your prompt addon between batches
If the AI’s tone is consistently off across a batch, refine your global Prompt Add-on instead of fixing each result by hand. Two iterations on the prompt usually beats fifty manual edits.
When the free workflow stops scaling
Row-by-row is fine for small or one-off needs. It becomes the bottleneck once you have:
Signs you're outgrowing the free flow
| Feature | Why it hurts on free |
|---|---|
| More than ~50 images to optimize One-time backlog. | Each click is a context switch. By image 30 the row-by-row pattern starts to drag. |
| A media library you keep adding to Continuous flow. | New uploads pile up. Without a scheduled or batch runner, the backlog grows faster than you can clear it. |
| You want to walk away while it runs Background processing. | The free flow needs you in front of the screen. There’s no “start a queue and check back later” option. |
What Pro adds on top Pro
Image SEO Optimizer Pro adds a bulk runner in the browser — a one-click flow with progress, pause/resume, and a live ETA. It sends the same AI calls, one image at a time by default and up to three in parallel, set in the Processing Speed dropdown of the bulk dialog:
What Pro adds
| Feature | What it does Recommended |
|---|---|
| Bulk-select checkbox column First column of the image table, plus a master checkbox in the header. | Pick which subset of images to bulk-optimize — by hand, or after filtering the table. |
| Floating Action Button Anchored at the bottom-right of the dashboard. | One click opens the bulk dialog. Same button, regardless of which page-builder or filters are active. |
| Progress bar with ETA Sticky overlay during the run. | Watch the live count of completed images, an estimated time remaining, and pause/resume controls. The browser drives the run, so closing the tab stops it — the dashboard offers to resume the remaining images for the next 24 hours. |
Since Pro 1.0.1 the same work also runs server-side as a job: create it over the REST API or WP-CLI and the site processes it on cron, without a browser tab open. Jobs need a Pro license and a user with edit_others_posts, and they report progress, failures and an optional spend cap.
REST API reference
The infyp/v1 routes, including the Pro jobs endpoints that run bulk work server-side.
Bulk Optimization (Pro)
The full Pro bulk runner — selection, queue, progress, pause/resume, cancel.