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Cleaner Gallery

By Justin Tadlock

Content Management /

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Cleaner Gallery Review - In-Depth Analysis

Cleaner Gallery enhances WordPress galleries by fixing invalid HTML and integrating with multiple Lightbox scripts.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.86/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 23+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin was created to address the invalid HTML produced by WordPress when using the [gallery] shortcode.

It goes beyond that by integrating with various Lightbox-type scripts, allowing for more advanced gallery features. Additionally, it provides several options for customization.

Features include the use of HTML5 and

elements, integration with Schema.org microdata, and accessibility enhancements through the aria-describedby attribute. The plugin validates the invalid code generated by WordPress and allows for multiple galleries within a single post.

Users can set the number of images displayed in each gallery and choose which images to include or exclude. The plugin does not load extra CSS or JavaScript unless specified.

It integrates with 18 different Lightbox-type scripts, offering flexibility in how galleries are presented. For professional support, users can access the support forums at Theme Hybrid, a site dedicated to WordPress help.

Developers can follow the plugin's development on its GitHub repository. Donations are accepted to support further development, although they are not required.

Comparing to Alternatives

Cleaner Gallery stands out in the WordPress gallery plugin space with its clean code and reliable performance, offering a solid alternative to other popular gallery plugins.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Clean and efficient code ensuring good performance
Compatibility with other popular plugins like WP Gallery Custom Links and WP Featherlight
Long-term reliability with users reporting usage over several years
Provides flexibility without overriding core gallery code
High user satisfaction with a 4.8-star average rating

Weaknesses

No pro version or premium features available
Limited recent updates with last security scan in 2014
May not be necessary for users on WordPress 3.9 and above due to core improvements
Lack of recent user reviews indicating active development

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star ratings (91.3%) and very few low ratings, users generally express high satisfaction with Cleaner Gallery's performance and reliability.

Positive highlights

Clean code and design with great performance (Dano at Porkopolis)
Works well with other plugins enhancing gallery functionality (Dano at Porkopolis)
Long-term usage experience spanning 7 years indicating stability (TheCraig)
Excellent plugin with no need to look further (Carlos Pinedo)
Still a good choice for flexibility beyond WordPress core features (certainlyakey)

Common complaints

Weaknesses

No recent updates or active development noted
Lack of premium features limits advanced customization options
Potential compatibility issues with latest WordPress versions due to age
Minimal recent user engagement in reviews

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a lightweight, clean-coded gallery plugin that integrates well with other plugins and offers reliable performance without needing advanced premium features.

Not ideal for

Those requiring frequent updates, advanced customization options, or active support might find this plugin less suitable due to its lack of recent development and absence of a pro version.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a clean, efficient gallery solution with compatibility for popular related plugins and sufficient features for most standard gallery needs.

Final Verdict

Cleaner Gallery is a well-regarded plugin praised for its clean code, reliability, and compatibility with other plugins, making it a solid choice for users wanting a straightforward gallery solution. Its high user rating and long-term usage endorsements highlight its effectiveness and stability.

However, the absence of recent updates and premium features may limit its appeal for users seeking advanced customization or active support. Those prioritizing cutting-edge features or ongoing development might consider alternative plugins with more frequent updates and pro versions.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Cleaner Gallery plugin.

Gallery

Images

Lightbox

Screenshots

FAQ

Uzip the cleaner-gallery.zip folder.
Upload the cleaner-gallery folder to your /wp-content/plugins directory.
In your WordPress dashboard, head over to the Plugins section.
Activate Cleaner Gallery.

If you’re building a WordPress theme, it’s extremely simple to add support for this plugin. Simply add the following line to your theme’s setup function:

add_theme_support( 'cleaner-gallery' );

Then, copy the plugins css/gallery.css file into your theme’s stylesheet. You are free to make any customizations you wish. It’s much more flexible than the default WordPress gallery, so you have a lot of freedom with design choices.

Customizing your galleries can be very simple. Here’s some CSS you can add to your theme’s style.css and modify.

/* Style rules for the entire gallery */ .gallery {}      /* Style rules for each item (image and caption) in the gallery */     .gallery-item {}          /* Style rules for images within the gallery */         .gallery-icon {}          /* Style rules for captions within the gallery */         .gallery-caption {}

While the plugin has no way of paginating its own galleries, it’s very much possible to make this happen using the WordPress  tag.

Let’s suppose we have 12 images we want to show. The first six will be on the first page while the following six will be on the second page. You’d use this code in the post editor:

[gallery numberposts="6"]  <!--nextpage-->  [gallery numberposts="6" offset="6"]

Contributors and developers

“Cleaner Gallery” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Justin Tadlock

Free Version Docs

WPS

6.86

Average

Ratings

4.8 out of 5 | 23

Version

1.1.0

Last updated

8 years ago

Active installations

2,000+

WordPress version

or higher

PHP version

or higher

Languages

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Cleaner Gallery Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (23)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (0)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.86

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