PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin vs PhotoSwipe (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
2.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, PhotoSwipe has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 11 reviews) while PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin leads in active installations (2.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin has accumulated 89K+ total downloads while PhotoSwipe has 31K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin | PhotoSwipe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 2.8/5 | ► | 4.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 15 | ◄ | 11 |
| Active Installs | 2.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 89K+ | ◄ | 31K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 6 months ago | ◄ | 10 years ago |
| First Released | 2013 | 2015 | |
| Age | 13 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | false+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.2.5 | 4.1.1.1 |
Rating Breakdown
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
PhotoSwipe
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin averaged approximately 12 daily downloads while PhotoSwipe averaged 3.
Recent Reviews
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin Reviews
Woking fine as expected.
Woking fine as expected.
not responsive
ugly plugin and not responsive, yet wp backery and visual composer keeps forcing us to use it!
Halfway coded plugin
Such a waste of time…
PhotoSwipe Reviews
As advertised
Simple and lightweight. Good job!
如今已经不能使用了
我根据自己的需要改写了一些东西，感谢你们的代码。 详情：https://zengxiaoluan.com/zphotoswipe/
I wanted a simple gallery plugin
I wanted to create galleries with WordPress and preview images with some lightbox effect. This one is awesome, I just love those nice transitions. The gallery will: – arrange the thumbnails in a mason
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.