Shadowbox JS vs Simplelightbox (2026)

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

Shadowbox JS

Shadowbox JS

4.6(9)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Shadowbox JS
VS
Simplelightbox

Simplelightbox

5(11)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 years ago
View Simplelightbox

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Simplelightbox has a higher user rating (5/5 from 11 reviews) while Shadowbox JS leads in active installations (2.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Shadowbox JS has accumulated 533K+ total downloads while Simplelightbox has 30K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.6/5Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox5/5
Total Reviews
9Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox11
Active Installs
2.0K+Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox1.0K+
Total Downloads
533K+Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox30K+
Support Resolution
N/AShadowbox JS
SimplelightboxN/A
Last Updated
8 years agoShadowbox JS
Simplelightbox2 years ago
First Released
2008Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox2015
Age
18 yearsShadowbox JS
Simplelightbox11 years
WP Requires
3.3+Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox3.0.1+
PHP Requires
false+Shadowbox JS
Simplelightboxfalse+
Business Model
FreeShadowbox JS
SimplelightboxFree
Latest Version
3.0.3.10.2Shadowbox JS
Simplelightbox2.14.4

Rating Breakdown

Shadowbox JS

4.6/5(9 reviews)
5
89%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
11%

Simplelightbox

5/5(11 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

Shadowbox JS Reviews

by Suzi Berman

Love this and use on all my sites

Love this and use on all my sites

by Salpetriere

PHP Errors, No Recent Updates, No Support

It appears that the plugin author has abandoned supporting this plugin, it hasn’t been updated in four years. The plugin is now creating php errors with that latest few versions of WordPress. This was

by ezejaime

Best modal window plugin

I started to use shadowbox js years ago, first in my plain html and php websites and now with WordPress in its plugin version. I’m sad the creators decided to stop supporting and updating it but I und

Simplelightbox Reviews

by zhongxiyi

Very good plugin!

Very good plugin! Very good plugin! Very good plugin!

by Aleksandar

Very good plugin!

Very good plugin. The only plugin that successfully opens my lazily loaded .webp thumbnails. Thank you very much! This topic was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Aleksandar. This topic

by sammuelhg

Cool , but need additional support to webp and svg images

Nice This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by sammuelhg.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shadowbox JS or Simplelightbox more popular?
Shadowbox JS has 2.0K+ active installations while Simplelightbox has 1.0K+. Shadowbox JS is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Shadowbox JS or Simplelightbox?
Shadowbox JS has a 4.6/5 rating from 9 reviews, while Simplelightbox has a 5/5 rating from 11 reviews.
Are Shadowbox JS and Simplelightbox free?
Shadowbox JS is free and Simplelightbox is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Shadowbox JS or Simplelightbox?
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?
Shadowbox JS was last updated 8 years ago and Simplelightbox was last updated 2 years ago.

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