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FancyBox vs PhotoSwipe (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

FancyBox

FancyBox

2.8(9)

4.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View FancyBox
VS
PhotoSwipe

PhotoSwipe

4.5(11)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 10 years ago
View PhotoSwipe

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, PhotoSwipe has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 11 reviews) while FancyBox leads in active installations (4.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. FancyBox has accumulated 286K+ total downloads while PhotoSwipe has 31K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
2.8/5FancyBox
►
PhotoSwipe4.5/5
Total Reviews
9FancyBox
►
PhotoSwipe11
Active Installs
4.0K+FancyBox
◄
PhotoSwipe1.0K+
Total Downloads
286K+FancyBox
◄
PhotoSwipe31K+
Support Resolution
N/AFancyBox
PhotoSwipeN/A
Last Updated
8 years agoFancyBox
◄
PhotoSwipe10 years ago
First Released
2009FancyBox
PhotoSwipe2015
Age
17 yearsFancyBox
PhotoSwipe11 years
WP Requires
2.7+FancyBox
PhotoSwipe4.0+
PHP Requires
false+FancyBox
PhotoSwipefalse+
Business Model
FreeFancyBox
PhotoSwipeFree
Latest Version
1.1.0FancyBox
PhotoSwipe4.1.1.1

Rating Breakdown

FancyBox

2.8/5(9 reviews)
5
44%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
56%

PhotoSwipe

4.5/5(11 reviews)
5
73%
4
18%
3
0%
2
9%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

FancyBox Reviews

by Broken Ninja

straight pulldown of fancbox

Loved it as a developer as it has nothing but a plain fancybox.

by SiD

Good One

Good Plugin. I Use it in my site

by uzcant

It works well

No problem, it works as it says and this is fairly enough.

PhotoSwipe Reviews

by Paul Phillips

As advertised

Simple and lightweight. Good job!

by zengxiaoluan

如今已经不能使用了

我根据自己的需要改写了一些东西，感谢你们的代码。 详情：https://zengxiaoluan.com/zphotoswipe/

by Andrija Naglic

I wanted a simple gallery plugin

I wanted to create galleries with WordPress and preview images with some lightbox effect. This one is awesome, I just love those nice transitions. The gallery will: – arrange the thumbnails in a mason

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FancyBox or PhotoSwipe more popular?
FancyBox has 4.0K+ active installations while PhotoSwipe has 1.0K+. FancyBox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — FancyBox or PhotoSwipe?
FancyBox has a 2.8/5 rating from 9 reviews, while PhotoSwipe has a 4.5/5 rating from 11 reviews.
Are FancyBox and PhotoSwipe free?
FancyBox is free and PhotoSwipe is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — FancyBox or PhotoSwipe?
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?
FancyBox was last updated 8 years ago and PhotoSwipe was last updated 10 years ago.

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