Firelight Lightbox vs Faster Image Insert (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Firelight Lightbox
200K+ active installs
Free + Premium
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 2.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Faster Image Insert has 259K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | Faster Image Insert | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 3.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 331 | ◄ | 15 |
| Active Installs | 200K+ | ◄ | 2.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 7.6M+ | ◄ | 259K+ |
| Support Resolution | 43% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 8 years ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2009 | |
| Age | 16 years | 17 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.0+ | 2.6+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.0+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.3.19 | 2.4.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Firelight Lightbox
Faster Image Insert
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Firelight Lightbox averaged approximately 3,084 daily downloads while Faster Image Insert averaged 4.
Recent Reviews
Firelight Lightbox Reviews
Very good
Recommend
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
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
Faster Image Insert Reviews
No longer compatible
The plug-in is abandoned. I managed to use it until mid-2020 but further WP updates became incomattable. The plugin no longer shows in the edit screen. Uninstalled, using Media Library Assistant inste
Excellent Plugin but needs an update
I have been using this plugin for the past 3 years now and it works great. However, it seems like the plugin author has stopped updating and some things don’t work like they used to. My only drawba
:)
Great Plugin very useful, thanks for your work
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.