Firelight Lightbox vs WP Photo Album Plus (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 10K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while WP Photo Album Plus has 3.4M+. WP Photo Album Plus has a higher support resolution rate (43% vs 43%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | WP Photo Album Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 331 | ◄ | 199 |
| Active Installs | 200K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 7.6M+ | ◄ | 3.4M+ |
| Support Resolution | 43% | 43% | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ► | 3 weeks ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2010 | |
| Age | 16 years | 16 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.0+ | 6.6+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.0+ | 5.5+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.3.19 | 9.1.09.005 |
Rating Breakdown
Firelight Lightbox
WP Photo Album Plus
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Firelight Lightbox averaged approximately 3,084 daily downloads while WP Photo Album Plus averaged 268.
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
WP Photo Album Plus Reviews
A game changer
To be honest, after using it for few years you have to say it is way over expectations! Any! And a full commitment of the author to look for our needs, update it for free is something you just cannot
Great plugin
Our website has used this plugin for our Photography galleries for some time now. It is the best one out there in my opinion. The author Jacob is very pro-active and extremely helpful, resolving is
Too heavy
Plugin is great and really powerful with lots of settings. But it ”eats” a lot of memory so other plugins stopped working. I do not need all those numerous settings, I just need a gallery with possibi
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Firelight Lightbox or WP Photo Album Plus more popular?
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or WP Photo Album Plus?
Are Firelight Lightbox and WP Photo Album Plus free?
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or WP Photo Album Plus?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.