PluginSift

Firelight Lightbox vs Import external attachments (2026)

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

Firelight Lightbox

Firelight Lightbox

4.8(331)

200K+ active installs

Free + Premium

Updated 3 weeks ago
View Firelight Lightbox
VS
Import external attachments

Import external attachments

4.3(26)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 9 years ago
View Import external attachments

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Firelight Lightbox has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 331 reviews) and leads in active installations (200K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Import external attachments has 24K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Firelight Lightbox
◄
Import external attachments4.3/5
Total Reviews
331Firelight Lightbox
◄
Import external attachments26
Active Installs
200K+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Import external attachments2.0K+
Total Downloads
7.6M+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Import external attachments24K+
Support Resolution
43%Firelight Lightbox
Import external attachmentsN/A
Last Updated
3 weeks agoFirelight Lightbox
◄
Import external attachments9 years ago
First Released
2010Firelight Lightbox
Import external attachments2016
Age
16 yearsFirelight Lightbox
Import external attachments10 years
WP Requires
5.0+Firelight Lightbox
Import external attachments3.2+
PHP Requires
7.0+Firelight Lightbox
Import external attachmentsfalse+
Business Model
Free + PremiumFirelight Lightbox
Import external attachmentsFree
Latest Version
2.3.19Firelight Lightbox
Import external attachments1.5.12

Rating Breakdown

Firelight Lightbox

4.8/5(331 reviews)
5
90%
4
5%
3
2%
2
0%
1
3%

Import external attachments

4.3/5(26 reviews)
5
77%
4
4%
3
8%
2
0%
1
12%

Recent Reviews

Firelight Lightbox Reviews

by rugger86

Very good

Recommend

by FinnDorian

Doesn’t work with sunshine photo cart

I’m using the gallery Plugin “sunshine photo cart” and it does not convert image links into a lightbox gallery. I am sick of using/adjusting 5 different lightbox plugins, because every gallery uses it

by Andreas Lanz

Increases the value of a photo blog

The plugin works perfect and with a beautiful, but discreet animation. I’d prefer having the possibility to force the browser via the settings to show the images in their original size if they are

Import external attachments Reviews

by mikulya

Работает но не совсем

Плагин выполняет свои функции с классическом редактором, но замораживается процесс, когда попадается статья, с неработающей внешней картинкой. Предварительно лучше избавиться от нерабочих картинок

by pichichi

It worked for me in 2023!

This worked for me in 2023. All I had to do was install Classic editor and make sure the post pages wern’t using any third party page builders. To import the missing attachments, I then opened the edi

by sae281062

Really great, lightweight, awesome job

Works with 5.3.2

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firelight Lightbox or Import external attachments more popular?
Firelight Lightbox has 200K+ active installations while Import external attachments has 2.0K+. Firelight Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or Import external attachments?
Firelight Lightbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 331 reviews, while Import external attachments has a 4.3/5 rating from 26 reviews.
Are Firelight Lightbox and Import external attachments free?
Firelight Lightbox is free + premium and Import external attachments is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or Import external attachments?
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?
Firelight Lightbox was last updated 3 weeks ago and Import external attachments was last updated 9 years ago.

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