Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… vs External Link Gate (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
100K+ active installs
Free + Premium
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has a higher user rating (3.9/5 from 94 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 0). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has accumulated 2.8M+ total downloads while External Link Gate has 982.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… | External Link Gate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.9/5 | ◄ | N/A |
| Total Reviews | 94 | ◄ | 0 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 0 |
| Total Downloads | 2.8M+ | ◄ | 982 |
| Support Resolution | 75% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 months ago | ◄ | 6 years ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2019 | |
| Age | 12 years | 7 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.5.1+ | 4.7+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 5.2.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.7.41 | 0.1.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
External Link Gate
Download Trends
Recent Reviews
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… Reviews
FooBox is fantastic
FooBox works great ouf of the box (pun intended) and is well-suited for sites that need a quick image lightbox plugin that plays well with others. The default lightbox theme provided is professiona
PHP 8.5 compatibility
The freemium.php file used by this plugin raises php warnings, not safe. PHP warning: Deprecation: Using null as an array offset is deprecated, use an empty string insteadThis should be fixed, than
Igor
A simple and convenient plugin. Just what I needed to replace “Image Zoom”, which isn’t updated and doesn’t support modern PHP versions.
External Link Gate Reviews
No reviews yet
More Plugins Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… and External Link Gate
Formerly Easy Fancybox. The most popular WordPress lightbox plugin. Simple, fast, and responsive. Opens images, videos, PDFs, and custom popups.
Build flexible popups and modal windows with multiple popup types, triggers, and display controls.
Expand hidden content without page refresh. SEO-friendly, crawlable by search engines and easy to use.
Flexible pop-ups or slide-ins, showing up at just the right time.
Create targeted popups for lead capture, event notifications, announcements, and promotions — shown at the right time without disrupting your visitors …
Create the good kind of popups with ease and display anywhere on your website!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.