PluginSift

Firelight Lightbox vs Nelio Popups (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
Nelio Popups

Nelio Popups

5(8)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 months ago
View Nelio Popups

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Nelio Popups has a higher user rating (5/5 from 8 reviews) while Firelight Lightbox leads in active installations (200K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Nelio Popups has 15K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Firelight Lightbox
►
Nelio Popups5/5
Total Reviews
331Firelight Lightbox
◄
Nelio Popups8
Active Installs
200K+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Nelio Popups1.0K+
Total Downloads
7.6M+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Nelio Popups15K+
Support Resolution
43%Firelight Lightbox
Nelio PopupsN/A
Last Updated
3 weeks agoFirelight Lightbox
◄
Nelio Popups2 months ago
First Released
2010Firelight Lightbox
Nelio Popups2021
Age
16 yearsFirelight Lightbox
Nelio Popups5 years
WP Requires
5.0+Firelight Lightbox
Nelio Popups6.6+
PHP Requires
7.0+Firelight Lightbox
Nelio Popups7.4+
Business Model
Free + PremiumFirelight Lightbox
Nelio PopupsFree
Latest Version
2.3.19Firelight Lightbox
Nelio Popups1.3.6

Rating Breakdown

Firelight Lightbox

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

Nelio Popups

5/5(8 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

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

Nelio Popups Reviews

by mr_milo

Native popup builder

I have tried basically all the popup builders, and using the native Block Editor interface is a game changer. Thanks Nelio for the great plugin and fast support!

by nmrockswp

Great Popup-Maker! Thank you!

Wow. This is the only simple popup maker, that does exactly what I want. Thank you so much! I just have two small requests: Could you please add the “Content is”/”posts”/”category”(!) option under “

by matiasgonzalezjara

Pop ups que hacen lenta la pagina

Hola! Ayer hice una consulta a los desarrolladores porque usé 22 pop ups en mi pagina y como estas se cargan en todas las páginas (no se renderizan, solo se cargan) hacían que mi sitio fuera extrem

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firelight Lightbox or Nelio Popups more popular?
Firelight Lightbox has 200K+ active installations while Nelio Popups has 1.0K+. Firelight Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or Nelio Popups?
Firelight Lightbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 331 reviews, while Nelio Popups has a 5/5 rating from 8 reviews.
Are Firelight Lightbox and Nelio Popups free?
Firelight Lightbox is free + premium and Nelio Popups is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or Nelio Popups?
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 Nelio Popups was last updated 2 months ago.

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