Meow 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
Simple Lightbox leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #330, ahead of Meow Lightbox at #1,997. Over the last 7 days Simple Lightbox slipped 1 place and Meow Lightbox climbed 6 places. Simple Lightbox has the largest install base, roughly 10× the next: 100K+ active installs against 10K+ for Meow Lightbox. Downloads this week: Meow Lightbox 5,340 and Simple Lightbox 1,919. Ratings: Meow Lightbox 4.9★ from 187 and Simple Lightbox 4.3★ from 239 reviews.
| Metric | Meow Lightbox | Simple Lightbox |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,997 ▲ 6 | #330 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 5,340 | 1,919 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (187) | 4.3★ (239) |
| Last updated | Oct 10, 2026 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| Current version | 5.6.3 | 2.9.5 |
| Best rank on record | #1,995 | #325 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2016 | May 2010 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 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, Meow Lightbox or Simple Lightbox?
By active installs, Simple Lightbox: 100K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Meow Lightbox, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 16, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Meow Lightbox or Simple Lightbox?
Simple Lightbox, at #330 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 Meow 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.