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FancyBox for WordPress vs Lightbox with PhotoSwipe (2026)

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

FancyBox for WordPress

FancyBox for WordPress

4.6(92)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 11 months ago
View FancyBox for WordPress
VS
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe

4.9(113)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 month ago
View Lightbox with PhotoSwipe

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 113 reviews) while FancyBox for WordPress leads in active installations (40K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. FancyBox for WordPress has accumulated 1.9M+ total downloads while Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has 941K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.6/5FancyBox for WordPress
►
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe4.9/5
Total Reviews
92FancyBox for WordPress
►
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe113
Active Installs
40K+FancyBox for WordPress
◄
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe20K+
Total Downloads
1.9M+FancyBox for WordPress
◄
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe941K+
Support Resolution
N/AFancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe91%
Last Updated
11 months agoFancyBox for WordPress
►
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe1 month ago
First Released
2009FancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe2017
Age
17 yearsFancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe9 years
WP Requires
5.6+FancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe5.3+
PHP Requires
7.4+FancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipefalse+
Business Model
FreeFancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipeFree
Latest Version
3.3.7FancyBox for WordPress
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe5.8.3

Rating Breakdown

FancyBox for WordPress

4.6/5(92 reviews)
5
83%
4
7%
3
2%
2
1%
1
8%

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe

4.9/5(113 reviews)
5
96%
4
3%
3
0%
2
0%
1
1%

Recent Reviews

FancyBox for WordPress Reviews

by Vital_V_G

Идеальный плагин Fancybox

Замечательный плагин  Fancybox! Легкий, удобный, справляется со своими функциями! Функционал не нагружен всякими ползунками, пикселями, настройками. Установил и пользуешься! От читателей (под

by joseyaz

Perfect!

It’s lightweight, non-intrusive, and does its job perfectly. Thank you.

by stsalv

Very well

That’s what you need

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe Reviews

by Michael Rieder

Works perfect

Perfekt to show images in a lightbox. 100% support. Fast and competent.

by Roland Bischoff

Sharp photos finally

A sleek plugin that is well documented. Good support. I can’t prove it, but it seems to me that with Arno Welzel’s “Lightbox with PhotoSwipe” plugin, my photos on the website are finally as sharp a

by niguramu

Lightbox was easy to implement

I was able to easily implement Lightbox on all images. When I first activated this plugin, the Lightbox displayed and behaved strangely, but after switching to PhotoSwipe version 4 on the settings

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FancyBox for WordPress or Lightbox with PhotoSwipe more popular?
FancyBox for WordPress has 40K+ active installations while Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has 20K+. FancyBox for WordPress is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — FancyBox for WordPress or Lightbox with PhotoSwipe?
FancyBox for WordPress has a 4.6/5 rating from 92 reviews, while Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has a 4.9/5 rating from 113 reviews.
Are FancyBox for WordPress and Lightbox with PhotoSwipe free?
FancyBox for WordPress is free and Lightbox with PhotoSwipe is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — FancyBox for WordPress or Lightbox with 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 for WordPress was last updated 11 months ago and Lightbox with PhotoSwipe was last updated 1 month ago.

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