Lightbox with PhotoSwipe vs Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe
20K+ active installs
Free
Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider
7.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 113 reviews) and leads in active installations (20K+ vs 7.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has accumulated 940K+ total downloads while Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider has 57K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Lightbox with PhotoSwipe | Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9/5 | ◄ | 3.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 113 | ◄ | 12 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 7.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 940K+ | ◄ | 57K+ |
| Support Resolution | 91% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 5 years ago |
| First Released | 2017 | 2012 | |
| Age | 9 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.3+ | false+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 5.8.3 | 2.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe
Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe averaged approximately 193 daily downloads while Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider averaged 4.
Recent Reviews
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe Reviews
Works perfect
Perfekt to show images in a lightbox. 100% support. Fast and competent.
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
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
Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider Reviews
looks good but difficult to size
Simple to set up and looks great. Found the template sizes for the slider odd and only one worked – the rest result in a stretch or distorted images. Tried inline css using a div to control the size b
Plugin continues to improve!
I’ve been using this plugin since it was “Responsive Slider for Developers” — it was easy to customize on a client per-client basis, and was always very stable and easy for both me to set up and the c
doesnt work sorry
the shordcode doesnt activate the slider
More Attachments Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Lightbox with PhotoSwipe and Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider
Include all relevant attachments in your export.
Easily allow WordPress to accept and upload any file type extension or MIME type, including custom file types.
Download Attachments is a new approach to managing downloads in WordPress. It allows you to easily add and display download links in any post or page.
This plugin generates thumbnails for documents and displays them in a gallery-like format for easy sharing.
Save disk space and bring some order to the chaos of your media library by removing and preventing duplicate files.
Implement attachments upload to the topics and replies in bbPress plugin through a media library and add additional forum-based controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lightbox with PhotoSwipe or Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider more popular?
Which has better ratings — Lightbox with PhotoSwipe or Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider?
Are Lightbox with PhotoSwipe and Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider free?
Which plugin has better support — Lightbox with PhotoSwipe or Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.