Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… vs Simple Lightbox (2026)

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

Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…

Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…

3.9(94)

100K+ active installs

Free + Premium

Updated 2 months ago
View Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
VS
Simple Lightbox

Simple Lightbox

4.3(236)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 month ago
View Simple Lightbox

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Simple Lightbox has a higher user rating (4.3/5 from 236 reviews) while Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… leads in active installations (100K+ vs 100K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has accumulated 2.8M+ total downloads while Simple Lightbox has 3.0M+. Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has a higher support resolution rate (75% vs 0%).

Detailed Comparison

Rating
3.9/5Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox4.3/5
Total Reviews
94Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox236
Active Installs
100K+Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox100K+
Total Downloads
2.8M+Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox3.0M+
Support Resolution
75%Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox0%
Last Updated
2 months agoLightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox1 month ago
First Released
2014Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox2010
Age
12 yearsLightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox16 years
WP Requires
3.5.1+Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox5.3+
PHP Requires
false+Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox5.6.20+
Business Model
Free + PremiumLightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple LightboxFree
Latest Version
2.7.41Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…
Simple Lightbox2.9.5

Rating Breakdown

Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin…

3.9/5(94 reviews)
5
66%
4
5%
3
4%
2
5%
1
19%

Simple Lightbox

4.3/5(236 reviews)
5
79%
4
4%
3
2%
2
1%
1
14%

Recent Reviews

Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… Reviews

by Ronald Huereca

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

by vulpecula

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

by igormig

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.

Simple Lightbox Reviews

by Benjamin Stocker

Does not do anything

Just does not work. This topic was modified 6 months, 3 weeks ago by Benjamin Stocker.

by splinter1

Worked straight out of the box!

Couldn’t be simpler. Downloaded, installed, activated and now all my post images open in a lightbox. Brilliant!

by skylabb

Simple Yet Awesome

I like the simplicity of the plugin and it works with WP native image block. The ability to automatically group single images on a page or post and browse through them in the model box is great.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… or Simple Lightbox more popular?
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has 100K+ active installations while Simple Lightbox has 100K+. Simple Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… or Simple Lightbox?
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has a 3.9/5 rating from 94 reviews, while Simple Lightbox has a 4.3/5 rating from 236 reviews.
Are Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… and Simple Lightbox free?
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… is free + premium and Simple Lightbox is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… or Simple Lightbox?
As of April 2026, Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… has a 75% support resolution rate while Simple Lightbox has a 0% rate.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin… was last updated 2 months ago and Simple Lightbox was last updated 1 month ago.

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