Lightbox with PhotoSwipe vs Meow 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
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,097, ahead of Meow Lightbox at #1,997. Over the last 7 days Lightbox with PhotoSwipe climbed 1 place and Meow Lightbox climbed 6 places. Lightbox with PhotoSwipe has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 20K+ active installs against 10K+ for Meow Lightbox. Downloads this week: Meow Lightbox 5,340 and Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 853. Ratings: Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 4.9★ from 115 and Meow Lightbox 4.9★ from 187 reviews.
| Metric | Lightbox with PhotoSwipe | Meow Lightbox |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,097 ▲ 1 | #1,997 ▲ 6 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 853 | 5,340 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (115) | 4.9★ (187) |
| Last updated | Aug 30, 2026 | Oct 10, 2026 |
| Current version | 5.13.0 | 5.6.3 |
| Best rank on record | #1,097 | #1,995 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2017 | Aug 2016 |
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
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- Meow Lightbox vs Simple Lightbox
- Meow Lightbox vs Accordion Blocks
- Meow Lightbox vs Mobile Menu
- Meow Lightbox vs ShiftNav – Responsive Mobile Menu
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe or Meow Lightbox?
By active installs, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe: 20K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Meow Lightbox, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 16, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe or Meow Lightbox?
Lightbox with PhotoSwipe, at #1,097 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Meow Lightbox at #1,997. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Lightbox with PhotoSwipe or Meow 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.