FancyBox vs PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin (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
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

2.8(15)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 6 months ago
View PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, FancyBox has a higher user rating (2.8/5 from 9 reviews) and leads in active installations (4.0K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. FancyBox has accumulated 286K+ total downloads while PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin has 89K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
2.8/5FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin2.8/5
Total Reviews
9FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin15
Active Installs
4.0K+FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin2.0K+
Total Downloads
286K+FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin89K+
Support Resolution
N/AFancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox PluginN/A
Last Updated
8 years agoFancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin6 months ago
First Released
2009FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin2013
Age
17 yearsFancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin13 years
WP Requires
2.7+FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Pluginfalse+
PHP Requires
false+FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Pluginfalse+
Business Model
FreeFancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox PluginFree
Latest Version
1.1.0FancyBox
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin1.2.5

Rating Breakdown

FancyBox

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

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

2.8/5(15 reviews)
5
33%
4
13%
3
0%
2
7%
1
47%

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.

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin Reviews

by keyur161095

Woking fine as expected.

Woking fine as expected.

by Moses

not responsive

ugly plugin and not responsive, yet wp backery and visual composer keeps forcing us to use it!

by Setareh

Halfway coded plugin

Such a waste of time…

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FancyBox or PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin more popular?
FancyBox has 4.0K+ active installations while PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin has 2.0K+. FancyBox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — FancyBox or PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin?
FancyBox has a 2.8/5 rating from 9 reviews, while PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin has a 2.8/5 rating from 15 reviews.
Are FancyBox and PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin free?
FancyBox is free and PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — FancyBox or PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin?
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 PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin was last updated 6 months ago.

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