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Firelight Lightbox vs FancyBox for WordPress (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Firelight Lightbox

Firelight Lightbox

4.8(331)

200K+ active installs

Free + Premium

Updated 3 weeks ago
View Firelight Lightbox
VS
FancyBox for WordPress

FancyBox for WordPress

4.6(92)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 11 months ago
View FancyBox for WordPress

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Firelight Lightbox has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 331 reviews) and leads in active installations (200K+ vs 40K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while FancyBox for WordPress has 1.9M+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Firelight Lightbox
◄
FancyBox for WordPress4.6/5
Total Reviews
331Firelight Lightbox
◄
FancyBox for WordPress92
Active Installs
200K+Firelight Lightbox
◄
FancyBox for WordPress40K+
Total Downloads
7.6M+Firelight Lightbox
◄
FancyBox for WordPress1.9M+
Support Resolution
43%Firelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPressN/A
Last Updated
3 weeks agoFirelight Lightbox
◄
FancyBox for WordPress11 months ago
First Released
2010Firelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPress2009
Age
16 yearsFirelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPress17 years
WP Requires
5.0+Firelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPress5.6+
PHP Requires
7.0+Firelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPress7.4+
Business Model
Free + PremiumFirelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPressFree
Latest Version
2.3.19Firelight Lightbox
FancyBox for WordPress3.3.7

Rating Breakdown

Firelight Lightbox

4.8/5(331 reviews)
5
90%
4
5%
3
2%
2
0%
1
3%

FancyBox for WordPress

4.6/5(92 reviews)
5
83%
4
7%
3
2%
2
1%
1
8%

Recent Reviews

Firelight Lightbox Reviews

by rugger86

Very good

Recommend

by FinnDorian

Doesn’t work with sunshine photo cart

I’m using the gallery Plugin “sunshine photo cart” and it does not convert image links into a lightbox gallery. I am sick of using/adjusting 5 different lightbox plugins, because every gallery uses it

by Andreas Lanz

Increases the value of a photo blog

The plugin works perfect and with a beautiful, but discreet animation. I’d prefer having the possibility to force the browser via the settings to show the images in their original size if they are

FancyBox for WordPress Reviews

by Vital_V_G

Идеальный плагин Fancybox

Замечательный плагин  Fancybox! Легкий, удобный, справляется со своими функциями! Функционал не нагружен всякими ползунками, пикселями, настройками. Установил и пользуешься! От читателей (под

by joseyaz

Perfect!

It’s lightweight, non-intrusive, and does its job perfectly. Thank you.

by stsalv

Very well

That’s what you need

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firelight Lightbox or FancyBox for WordPress more popular?
Firelight Lightbox has 200K+ active installations while FancyBox for WordPress has 40K+. Firelight Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or FancyBox for WordPress?
Firelight Lightbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 331 reviews, while FancyBox for WordPress has a 4.6/5 rating from 92 reviews.
Are Firelight Lightbox and FancyBox for WordPress free?
Firelight Lightbox is free + premium and FancyBox for WordPress is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or FancyBox for WordPress?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Firelight Lightbox was last updated 3 weeks ago and FancyBox for WordPress was last updated 11 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.