Firelight Lightbox vs WOW Slider (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 3.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while WOW Slider has 648K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | WOW Slider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 331 | ◄ | 96 |
| Active Installs | 200K+ | ◄ | 3.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 7.6M+ | ◄ | 648K+ |
| Support Resolution | 43% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 8 years ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Age | 16 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.0+ | 3.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.0+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.3.19 | 8.6 |
Rating Breakdown
Firelight Lightbox
WOW Slider
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Firelight Lightbox averaged approximately 3,084 daily downloads while WOW Slider averaged 6.
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
WOW Slider Reviews
Ne fonctionne plus avec https
Ne fonctionne plus en https avec PHP > 7.4 Plus de mise à jour depuis 8 ans This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by AndreMusielak.
Worst Slider Plugin
Worst Plugin, very much less features and very hard to edit even with their software downloaded. Added button also show in one slide and doesn’t show up on other slide.
It's only Okay.
I like that it is fast to show the pics, and swaps quickly, but I would like for people to be able to view the full-size image if they click on it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Firelight Lightbox or WOW Slider more popular?
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or WOW Slider?
Are Firelight Lightbox and WOW Slider free?
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or WOW Slider?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.