Firelight Lightbox vs Simplelightbox (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Firelight Lightbox
200K+ active installs
Free + Premium
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Simplelightbox has a higher user rating (5/5 from 11 reviews) while Firelight Lightbox leads in active installations (200K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Simplelightbox has 30K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | Simplelightbox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 331 | ◄ | 11 |
| Active Installs | 200K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 7.6M+ | ◄ | 30K+ |
| Support Resolution | 43% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 2 years ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2015 | |
| Age | 16 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.0+ | 3.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.0+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.3.19 | 2.14.4 |
Rating Breakdown
Firelight Lightbox
Simplelightbox
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Firelight Lightbox averaged approximately 3,084 daily downloads while Simplelightbox averaged 5.
Recent Reviews
Firelight Lightbox Reviews
Very good
Recommend
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
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
Simplelightbox Reviews
Very good plugin!
Very good plugin! Very good plugin! Very good plugin!
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
Cool , but need additional support to webp and svg images
Nice This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by sammuelhg.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Firelight Lightbox or Simplelightbox more popular?
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or Simplelightbox?
Are Firelight Lightbox and Simplelightbox free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.