Firelight Lightbox vs Read More Without Refresh (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
Read More Without Refresh
20K+ active installs
Free
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 20K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Read More Without Refresh has 233K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | Read More Without Refresh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.2/5 |
| Total Reviews | 331 | ◄ | 54 |
| Active Installs | 200K+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 7.6M+ | ◄ | 233K+ |
| Support Resolution | 43% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2015 | |
| Age | 16 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.0+ | 3.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.0+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.3.19 | 4.0.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Firelight Lightbox
Read More Without Refresh
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Firelight Lightbox averaged approximately 3,084 daily downloads while Read More Without Refresh averaged 69.
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
Read More Without Refresh Reviews
I works but
FunFakt: I find my Text with “read more” and click on it. The “more” Text appears – the link is still “read more” I click on it – the “more” Text is gone – the link is “read less”
Doesnt work with WPBakery Text blocks
Tried to get this to work with WPBakery text block and does nothing. Actually removes the extended text from the website. This topic was modified 9 months, 1 week ago by garmatinc.
Yea, it breaks a site quite well.
First, the plugin is deprived from ease of use, finding the shortcode is a hell. on its settings in dashboard there is basically nothing really useful than background and text color. be sure that i
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.