Firelight Lightbox vs Simple Lightbox
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Firelight Lightbox leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #257, ahead of Simple Lightbox at #331. Firelight Lightbox has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 200K+ active installs against 100K+ for Simple Lightbox. Downloads this week: Firelight Lightbox 10,992 and Simple Lightbox 3,301. Ratings: Firelight Lightbox 4.8★ from 361 and Simple Lightbox 4.3★ from 239 reviews.
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | Simple Lightbox |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #257 ▬ | #331 ▬ |
| Active installs | 200K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 10,992 | 3,301 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (361) | 4.3★ (239) |
| Last updated | Oct 5, 2026 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.3.25 | 2.9.5 |
| Best rank on record | #255 | #325 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2010 | May 2010 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 4 | 7 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Firelight Lightbox or Simple Lightbox?
By active installs, Firelight Lightbox: 200K+ sites run it against 100K+ for Simple Lightbox, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Firelight Lightbox or Simple Lightbox?
Firelight Lightbox, at #257 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Simple Lightbox at #331. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Firelight Lightbox or Simple Lightbox alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.