Smart Slider 3 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
Smart Slider 3 leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #78, ahead of WP Carousel at #616. Over the last 7 days Smart Slider 3 held its place and WP Carousel climbed 1 place. Smart Slider 3 has the largest install base, roughly 11× the next: 800K+ active installs against 70K+ for WP Carousel. Downloads this week: Smart Slider 3 26,733 and WP Carousel 2,542. Ratings: Smart Slider 3 4.9★ from 1,123 and WP Carousel 4.7★ from 433 reviews.
| Metric | Smart Slider 3 | WP Carousel |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #78 ▬ | #616 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 800K+ | 70K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 26,733 | 2,542 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (1,123) | 4.7★ (433) |
| Last updated | Aug 19, 2026 | Aug 18, 2026 |
| Current version | 3.5.1.39 | 2.7.13 |
| Best rank on record | #78 | #612 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2015 | Jul 2014 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 8 | 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
More comparisons
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- WP Carousel vs Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress
- WP Carousel vs MetaSlider Slideshow
- WP Carousel vs Master Slider
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Smart Slider 3 or WP Carousel?
By active installs, Smart Slider 3: 800K+ sites run it against 70K+ for WP Carousel, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 14, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Smart Slider 3 or WP Carousel?
Smart Slider 3, at #78 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with WP Carousel at #616. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Smart Slider 3 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.