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Easy Footnotes vs Simple Colorbox (2026)

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

Easy Footnotes

Easy Footnotes

4.8(33)

8.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 9 months ago
View Easy Footnotes
VS
Simple Colorbox

Simple Colorbox

4.8(12)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Simple Colorbox

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Easy Footnotes has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 33 reviews) and leads in active installations (8.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Easy Footnotes has accumulated 149K+ total downloads while Simple Colorbox has 40K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Easy Footnotes
Simple Colorbox4.8/5
Total Reviews
33Easy Footnotes
◄
Simple Colorbox12
Active Installs
8.0K+Easy Footnotes
◄
Simple Colorbox1.0K+
Total Downloads
149K+Easy Footnotes
◄
Simple Colorbox40K+
Support Resolution
N/AEasy Footnotes
Simple ColorboxN/A
Last Updated
9 months agoEasy Footnotes
◄
Simple Colorbox8 years ago
First Released
2014Easy Footnotes
Simple Colorbox2012
Age
12 yearsEasy Footnotes
Simple Colorbox14 years
WP Requires
3.0.1+Easy Footnotes
Simple Colorbox3.9+
PHP Requires
false+Easy Footnotes
Simple Colorboxfalse+
Business Model
FreeEasy Footnotes
Simple ColorboxFree
Latest Version
1.1.13Easy Footnotes
Simple Colorbox1.6.1

Rating Breakdown

Easy Footnotes

4.8/5(33 reviews)
5
91%
4
6%
3
0%
2
3%
1
0%

Simple Colorbox

4.8/5(12 reviews)
5
92%
4
0%
3
8%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

Easy Footnotes Reviews

by scientificnotes

No option to place the footnotes

​Easy Footnotes is an excellent plugin that delivers on its promise of simplicity and speed. It allows for effortless insertion of footnotes, automatically numbering them and appending them to the end

by delphineous

True to its name – Easy to use

The Easy Footnotes plug-in is simple and easy to use. I use it to add sub-context, references, and any other information that is relevant to the content but would otherwise disrupt the flow of the pos

by kambro

Excellent plugin

As simple as good plugin. Nothing wore required. Thank you to the developers. This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by kambro.

Simple Colorbox Reviews

Super lightweight – works straight out of the box

Super lightweight and working right out of the box. And actually can be easily styled if you know a bit of css. Thnx a lot Ryan for sharing :).

by phenn

Mean and Lean

Nothing could be easier. Plugin works great.

by Damiaan van Vliet

Nice

Great simple lightbox. Indeed, install plug-in and it works. Easy to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Easy Footnotes or Simple Colorbox more popular?
Easy Footnotes has 8.0K+ active installations while Simple Colorbox has 1.0K+. Easy Footnotes is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Easy Footnotes or Simple Colorbox?
Easy Footnotes has a 4.8/5 rating from 33 reviews, while Simple Colorbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 12 reviews.
Are Easy Footnotes and Simple Colorbox free?
Easy Footnotes is free and Simple Colorbox is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Easy Footnotes or Simple Colorbox?
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?
Easy Footnotes was last updated 9 months ago and Simple Colorbox was last updated 8 years ago.

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