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Firelight Lightbox vs Simple Image Popup (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
Simple Image Popup

Simple Image Popup

5(3)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Simple Image Popup

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Simple Image Popup has a higher user rating (5/5 from 3 reviews) while Firelight Lightbox leads in active installations (200K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Simple Image Popup has 22K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Firelight Lightbox
►
Simple Image Popup5/5
Total Reviews
331Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Image Popup3
Active Installs
200K+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Image Popup1.0K+
Total Downloads
7.6M+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Image Popup22K+
Support Resolution
43%Firelight Lightbox
Simple Image PopupN/A
Last Updated
3 weeks agoFirelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Image Popup1 year ago
First Released
2010Firelight Lightbox
Simple Image Popup2020
Age
16 yearsFirelight Lightbox
Simple Image Popup6 years
WP Requires
5.0+Firelight Lightbox
Simple Image Popup5.6+
PHP Requires
7.0+Firelight Lightbox
Simple Image Popup7.4+
Business Model
Free + PremiumFirelight Lightbox
Simple Image PopupFree
Latest Version
2.3.19Firelight Lightbox
Simple Image Popup2.5.8

Rating Breakdown

Firelight Lightbox

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

Simple Image Popup

5/5(3 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

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

Simple Image Popup Reviews

by Damiaan van Vliet

Easy to use

Very easy popup software to display only a image which can be clicked on (start mail or link to site/page). And also a close button. Also responsive. Nice!

by Oleg Desyatnikov

Good work!

The really good simple plugin. I took the code for my personal plugin as a basis. Thank you!

by Hubert Rosiński

Polecam

Prosta i szybka bez zbędnych funkcji. Polecam 🙂

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firelight Lightbox or Simple Image Popup more popular?
Firelight Lightbox has 200K+ active installations while Simple Image Popup has 1.0K+. Firelight Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or Simple Image Popup?
Firelight Lightbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 331 reviews, while Simple Image Popup has a 5/5 rating from 3 reviews.
Are Firelight Lightbox and Simple Image Popup free?
Firelight Lightbox is free + premium and Simple Image Popup is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or Simple Image Popup?
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 Simple Image Popup was last updated 1 year ago.

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