PluginSift

Firelight Lightbox vs Simple Lightbox (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
Simple Lightbox

Simple Lightbox

4.3(236)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 month ago
View Simple Lightbox

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Firelight Lightbox has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 331 reviews) and leads in active installations (200K+ vs 100K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Simple Lightbox has 3.0M+. Firelight Lightbox has a higher support resolution rate (43% vs 0%).

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Lightbox4.3/5
Total Reviews
331Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Lightbox236
Active Installs
200K+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Lightbox100K+
Total Downloads
7.6M+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Lightbox3.0M+
Support Resolution
43%Firelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Lightbox0%
Last Updated
3 weeks agoFirelight Lightbox
◄
Simple Lightbox1 month ago
First Released
2010Firelight Lightbox
Simple Lightbox2010
Age
16 yearsFirelight Lightbox
Simple Lightbox16 years
WP Requires
5.0+Firelight Lightbox
Simple Lightbox5.3+
PHP Requires
7.0+Firelight Lightbox
Simple Lightbox5.6.20+
Business Model
Free + PremiumFirelight Lightbox
Simple LightboxFree
Latest Version
2.3.19Firelight Lightbox
Simple Lightbox2.9.5

Rating Breakdown

Firelight Lightbox

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

Simple Lightbox

4.3/5(236 reviews)
5
79%
4
4%
3
2%
2
1%
1
14%

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

Simple Lightbox Reviews

by Benjamin Stocker

Does not do anything

Just does not work. This topic was modified 6 months, 3 weeks ago by Benjamin Stocker.

by splinter1

Worked straight out of the box!

Couldn’t be simpler. Downloaded, installed, activated and now all my post images open in a lightbox. Brilliant!

by skylabb

Simple Yet Awesome

I like the simplicity of the plugin and it works with WP native image block. The ability to automatically group single images on a page or post and browse through them in the model box is great.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firelight Lightbox or Simple Lightbox more popular?
Firelight Lightbox has 200K+ active installations while Simple Lightbox has 100K+. Firelight Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or Simple Lightbox?
Firelight Lightbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 331 reviews, while Simple Lightbox has a 4.3/5 rating from 236 reviews.
Are Firelight Lightbox and Simple Lightbox free?
Firelight Lightbox is free + premium and Simple Lightbox is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or Simple Lightbox?
As of April 2026, Firelight Lightbox has a 43% support resolution rate while Simple Lightbox has a 0% rate.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Firelight Lightbox was last updated 3 weeks ago and Simple Lightbox was last updated 1 month ago.

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