WP Colorbox vs Simple Colorbox (2026)

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

WP Colorbox

4.3(23)

5.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 7 months ago

View WP Colorbox

Simple Colorbox

4.8(12)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago

View Simple Colorbox

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Simple Colorbox has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 12 reviews) while WP Colorbox leads in active installations (5.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. WP Colorbox has accumulated 154K+ total downloads while Simple Colorbox has 40K+.

Detailed Comparison

Metric	WP Colorbox		Simple Colorbox
Rating	4.3/5	►	4.8/5
Total Reviews	23	◄	12
Active Installs	5.0K+	◄	1.0K+
Total Downloads	154K+	◄	40K+
Support Resolution	N/A		N/A
Last Updated	7 months ago	◄	8 years ago
First Released	2014		2012
Age	12 years		14 years
WP Requires	3.0+		3.9+
PHP Requires	false+		false+
Business Model	Free		Free
Latest Version	1.1.6		1.6.1

Rating

4.3/5WP Colorbox

►

Simple Colorbox4.8/5

Total Reviews

23WP Colorbox

◄

Simple Colorbox12

Active Installs

5.0K+WP Colorbox

◄

Simple Colorbox1.0K+

Total Downloads

154K+WP Colorbox

◄

Simple Colorbox40K+

Support Resolution

N/AWP Colorbox

Simple ColorboxN/A

Last Updated

7 months agoWP Colorbox

◄

Simple Colorbox8 years ago

First Released

2014WP Colorbox

Simple Colorbox2012

Age

12 yearsWP Colorbox

Simple Colorbox14 years

WP Requires

3.0+WP Colorbox

Simple Colorbox3.9+

PHP Requires

false+WP Colorbox

Simple Colorboxfalse+

Business Model

FreeWP Colorbox

Simple ColorboxFree

Latest Version

1.1.6WP Colorbox

Simple Colorbox1.6.1

Rating Breakdown

WP Colorbox

4.3/5(23 reviews)

70%

13%

Simple Colorbox

4.8/5(12 reviews)

92%

Download Trends

Over the past 30 days, WP Colorbox averaged approximately 15 daily downloads while Simple Colorbox averaged 4.

Recent Reviews

WP Colorbox Reviews

by alphaomegawebdesign

Best flexible lightbox on the market

I use the colorbox lightbox for many years in my projects and for me it´s still the best lightbox plugin on the market. Its easy to use and very flexible in functionality and design. Really great job.

by klstock12

Great Text solution

I was looking for a pop-up text solution. This fit it great.

by gtwa

Firefox

Very good but it is not running on firefox and ms edge

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 WP Colorbox or Simple Colorbox more popular?

WP Colorbox has 5.0K+ active installations while Simple Colorbox has 1.0K+. WP Colorbox is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.

Which has better ratings — WP Colorbox or Simple Colorbox?

WP Colorbox has a 4.3/5 rating from 23 reviews, while Simple Colorbox has a 4.8/5 rating from 12 reviews.

Are WP Colorbox and Simple Colorbox free?

WP Colorbox is free and Simple Colorbox is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.

Which plugin has better support — WP Colorbox 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?

WP Colorbox was last updated 7 months ago and Simple Colorbox was last updated 8 years ago.

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