Image Slider vs WP Carousel
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
WP Carousel leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #618, ahead of Image Slider at #3,492. Over the last 7 days WP Carousel slipped 1 place and Image Slider slipped 5 places. WP Carousel has the largest install base, roughly 15× the next: 60K+ active installs against 4K+ for Image Slider. Downloads this week: WP Carousel 14,039 and Image Slider 278. Ratings: Image Slider 3.4★ from 31 and WP Carousel 4.7★ from 434 reviews.
| Metric | Image Slider | WP Carousel |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #3,492 ▼ 5 | #618 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 4K+ | 60K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 278 | 14,039 |
| Rating | 3.4★ (31) | 4.7★ (434) |
| Last updated | Sep 17, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.1.130 | 4.0.1 |
| Best rank on record | #3,471 | #612 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2014 | Jul 2014 |
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
More comparisons
- Image Slider vs Serious Slider
- Image Slider vs Slider by 10Web – Responsive Image Slider
- Image Slider vs Smart Slider 3
- Image Slider vs Ultimate Responsive Image Slider
- WP Carousel vs Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress
- WP Carousel vs MetaSlider Slideshow
- WP Carousel vs Smart Slider 3
- WP Carousel vs Master Slider
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Image Slider or WP Carousel?
By active installs, WP Carousel: 60K+ sites run it against 4K+ for Image Slider, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 21, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Image Slider or WP Carousel?
WP Carousel, at #618 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Image Slider at #3,492. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Image Slider or WP Carousel 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.