Modern Image Formats vs Lightbox with PhotoSwipe (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
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 113 reviews) while Modern Image Formats leads in active installations (100K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Modern Image Formats has accumulated 979K+ total downloads while Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has 940K+. Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has a higher support resolution rate (91% vs 67%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Modern Image Formats | Lightbox with PhotoSwipe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.3/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 23 | ► | 113 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 979K+ | ◄ | 940K+ |
| Support Resolution | 67% | ► | 91% |
| Last Updated | 2 months ago | ► | 1 month ago |
| First Released | 2023 | 2017 | |
| Age | 3 years | 9 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.6+ | 5.3+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.2+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.6.1 | 5.8.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Modern Image Formats
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Modern Image Formats averaged approximately 518 daily downloads while Lightbox with PhotoSwipe averaged 193.
Recent Reviews
Modern Image Formats Reviews
Funktioniert wie beschrieben – Heimvorteil weil von WordPress entwickelt
Ich nutze dieses Plugin auf allen neuen Webseiten, damit Bilder automatisch nach AVIF konvertiert werden. Es funktionierte bisher immer ohne Probleme, deshalb kann ich es uneingeschränkt empfehlen. Ic
Doesn’t work, support not helpful
Been trying to get this thing to work but it just wont serve the generated images. Support stopped replying.
compression?
Good plugin, but no option to set the WebP compression value. What compression is used here?
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
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.