PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin vs Popup with fancybox (2026)

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

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

2.8(15)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 6 months ago
View PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
VS
Popup with fancybox

Popup with fancybox

3.5(11)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 years ago
View Popup with fancybox

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Popup with fancybox has a higher user rating (3.5/5 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 Popup with fancybox has 110K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
2.8/5PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox3.5/5
Total Reviews
15PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox11
Active Installs
2.0K+PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox1.0K+
Total Downloads
89K+PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox110K+
Support Resolution
N/APrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancyboxN/A
Last Updated
6 months agoPrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox2 years ago
First Released
2013PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox2013
Age
13 yearsPrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox13 years
WP Requires
false+PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox3.4+
PHP Requires
false+PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancyboxfalse+
Business Model
FreePrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancyboxFree
Latest Version
1.2.5PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin
Popup with fancybox3.6

Rating Breakdown

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin

2.8/5(15 reviews)
5
33%
4
13%
3
0%
2
7%
1
47%

Popup with fancybox

3.5/5(11 reviews)
5
55%
4
9%
3
0%
2
9%
1
27%

Recent Reviews

PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin Reviews

by keyur161095

Woking fine as expected.

Woking fine as expected.

by Moses

not responsive

ugly plugin and not responsive, yet wp backery and visual composer keeps forcing us to use it!

by Setareh

Halfway coded plugin

Such a waste of time…

Popup with fancybox Reviews

by tratcliffe

Does not function correcty

The once per session simple does not work. It is not properly responsive – a horizontal scroll bar is not what I consider responsive. I just had text, not even good enough for that is the once per ses

by sandfeld

Poor working

More functions are not working – is not responsive….

by lordroupon

Broken

If you want to use this plugin for something other than text, you should go ahead and use a different plugin. The HTML editor refuses to work correctly and forget about using iFrames, the editor just

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin or Popup with fancybox more popular?
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin has 2.0K+ active installations while Popup with fancybox has 1.0K+. PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin or Popup with fancybox?
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin has a 2.8/5 rating from 15 reviews, while Popup with fancybox has a 3.5/5 rating from 11 reviews.
Are PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin and Popup with fancybox free?
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin is free and Popup with fancybox is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin or Popup with fancybox?
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?
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin was last updated 6 months ago and Popup with fancybox was last updated 2 years ago.

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