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Firelight Lightbox vs Ultimate Preloader (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
Ultimate Preloader

Ultimate Preloader

3.5(6)

60 active installs

Free

Updated 13 years ago
View Ultimate Preloader

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 60). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Firelight Lightbox has accumulated 7.6M+ total downloads while Ultimate Preloader has 11K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Firelight Lightbox
◄
Ultimate Preloader3.5/5
Total Reviews
331Firelight Lightbox
◄
Ultimate Preloader6
Active Installs
200K+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Ultimate Preloader60
Total Downloads
7.6M+Firelight Lightbox
◄
Ultimate Preloader11K+
Support Resolution
43%Firelight Lightbox
Ultimate PreloaderN/A
Last Updated
3 weeks agoFirelight Lightbox
◄
Ultimate Preloader13 years ago
First Released
2010Firelight Lightbox
Ultimate Preloader2013
Age
16 yearsFirelight Lightbox
Ultimate Preloader13 years
WP Requires
5.0+Firelight Lightbox
Ultimate Preloader3.3+
PHP Requires
7.0+Firelight Lightbox
Ultimate Preloaderfalse+
Business Model
Free + PremiumFirelight Lightbox
Ultimate PreloaderFree
Latest Version
2.3.19Firelight Lightbox
Ultimate Preloader1.1

Rating Breakdown

Firelight Lightbox

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

Ultimate Preloader

3.5/5(6 reviews)
5
50%
4
17%
3
0%
2
0%
1
33%

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

Ultimate Preloader Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Firelight Lightbox or Ultimate Preloader more popular?
Firelight Lightbox has 200K+ active installations while Ultimate Preloader has 60. Firelight Lightbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Firelight Lightbox or Ultimate Preloader?
Firelight Lightbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 331 reviews, while Ultimate Preloader has a 3.5/5 rating from 6 reviews.
Are Firelight Lightbox and Ultimate Preloader free?
Firelight Lightbox is free + premium and Ultimate Preloader is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Firelight Lightbox or Ultimate Preloader?
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?
Firelight Lightbox was last updated 3 weeks ago and Ultimate Preloader was last updated 13 years ago.

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