Simple Lightbox vs WP Lightbox 2
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 #326, ahead of WP Lightbox 2 at #1,104. Over the last 7 days Simple Lightbox held its place and WP Lightbox 2 climbed 1 place. Simple Lightbox has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 100K+ active installs against 20K+ for WP Lightbox 2. Downloads this week: Simple Lightbox 1,954 and WP Lightbox 2 406. Ratings: Simple Lightbox 4.3★ from 240 and WP Lightbox 2 4.4★ from 89 reviews.
| Metric | Simple Lightbox | WP Lightbox 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #326 ▬ | #1,104 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 20K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,954 | 406 |
| Rating | 4.3★ (240) | 4.4★ (89) |
| Last updated | Sep 12, 2026 | Jan 31, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9.5 | 3.0.7 |
| Best rank on record | #325 | #1,103 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2010 | Nov 2011 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 7 | 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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- WP Lightbox 2 vs LightPress Lightbox
- WP Lightbox 2 vs SimpLy Gallery Block & Lightbox
- WP Lightbox 2 vs Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block
- WP Lightbox 2 vs Responsive Lightbox & Gallery
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Simple Lightbox or WP Lightbox 2?
By active installs, Simple Lightbox: 100K+ sites run it against 20K+ for WP Lightbox 2, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Simple Lightbox or WP Lightbox 2?
Simple Lightbox, at #326 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with WP Lightbox 2 at #1,104. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Simple Lightbox or WP Lightbox 2 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.