FancyBox for WordPress vs Lightbox with PhotoSwipe
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
FancyBox for WordPress leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #943, ahead of Lightbox with PhotoSwipe at #1,099. Over the last 7 days FancyBox for WordPress climbed 2 places and Lightbox with PhotoSwipe climbed 4 places. FancyBox for WordPress has the largest install base, roughly 1.5× the next: 30K+ active installs against 20K+ for Lightbox with PhotoSwipe. Ratings: FancyBox for WordPress 4.6★ from 92 and Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 4.9★ from 115 reviews.
| Metric | FancyBox for WordPress | Lightbox with PhotoSwipe |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #943 ▲ 2 | #1,099 ▲ 4 |
| Active installs | 30K+ | 20K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 951 | — |
| Rating | 4.6★ (92) | 4.9★ (115) |
| Last updated | Aug 7, 2026 | Aug 30, 2026 |
| Current version | 3.4.2 | 5.13.0 |
| Best rank on record | #941 | #1,099 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2009 | Nov 2017 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 1 | 0 |
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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- Lightbox with PhotoSwipe vs Export media with selected content (by DKZR)
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, FancyBox for WordPress or Lightbox with PhotoSwipe?
By active installs, FancyBox for WordPress: 30K+ sites run it against 20K+ for Lightbox with PhotoSwipe, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 14, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, FancyBox for WordPress or Lightbox with PhotoSwipe?
FancyBox for WordPress, at #943 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Lightbox with PhotoSwipe at #1,099. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are FancyBox for WordPress or Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 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.