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Image and Video Lightbox, Image PopUp

By wpdevart

Design & Themes /

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Image and Video Lightbox, Image PopUp Review - In-Depth Analysis

Image and Video Lightbox is a highly customizable and responsive plugin for displaying images and videos in a popup. It offers various settings for user configuration and supports both free and premium features.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.96/10

User Rating

3.3/5 (based on 12+ reviews)

Active Installations

1,000+

Update Frequency

Very Good It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

3 / 10 (Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

WordPress Image and Video Lightbox is a highly customizable and responsive plugin for displaying images and videos in a popup. You just need to install our plugin and enable it. There are a lot of settings that will help you to configure what you need.

If you are using a lot of images and videos on your website, then this plugin is a necessary one for you. Our plugin has a lot of free and premium features to enhance your media display.

The features of the free version include responsive design, handy admin panel, and compatibility with all modern browsers. You can set various popup settings such as background color, dimensions, and control button visibility. For advanced features, you can upgrade to the Pro version.

Comparing to Alternatives

Image and Video Lightbox, Image PopUp competes with several established lightbox plugins, offering a range of features for image and video display. It has multiple direct alternatives in the WordPress repository that provide similar functionality.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Offers a wide range of customization options for images and videos.
Supports both image and video lightbox functionality.
Includes a pro version with additional features.
Responsive and smooth user experience according to positive reviews.
Automatically handles image and video display with minimal setup.

Weaknesses

Free version is reported as difficult to use without upgrading to Pro.
Some forced features in free version may not be desirable, such as image downloading.
Certain effects in free version can break the lightbox functionality.
Documentation is minimal, making setup confusing for some users.

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin has a mixed reception with a 3.3 out of 5 rating based on 12 reviews. While over half of the users gave it 5 stars praising its functionality and ease of use, a significant minority (41.7%) rated it 1 star, citing usability and forced upgrade issues.

Positive highlights

'Suits all my needs. Very smooth, responsive and elegant.' - GameYob
'Easy to use and it works perfectly.' - LunaGraphica
'Has lots of customisable options and I couldn't be without it.' - GameYob
'It pretty much does everything for you with minimal setup.' - GameYob

Common complaints

Free version forces users to upgrade to Pro to be usable.
Free version includes unwanted forced features like image downloading.
Lightbox functionality can break due to certain effects in free version.
Plugin is difficult to set up and does not work as expected for some users.

Weaknesses

Known stored XSS vulnerability fixed in version 2.1.6 but indicates past security issues.
Limited and minimal documentation causing setup confusion.
Some users report the free version is essentially unusable without Pro.
Negative reviews suggest possible deceptive upgrade tactics.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a customizable lightbox plugin that supports both images and videos and are willing to invest in the Pro version for full functionality.

Not ideal for

Those seeking a fully functional free lightbox plugin or users who prefer extensive documentation and straightforward setup without forced upgrades.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic lightbox functionality but includes some forced features and limited usability without upgrading.

Pro version

The Pro version unlocks full customization options, removes forced features, and provides enhanced control over the lightbox appearance and behavior.

Final Verdict

Image and Video Lightbox, Image PopUp offers a feature-rich lightbox solution with support for images and videos, praised by many users for its smooth and customizable experience. However, the free version's limitations and forced upgrade tactics have led to significant user frustration and poor ratings from a notable minority.

While it has a history of a security vulnerability that has been addressed, potential users should weigh the plugin's strengths against its usability concerns and consider alternative plugins if a fully free and straightforward solution is preferred. Investing in the Pro version appears necessary to unlock the plugin's full potential.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Image and Video Lightbox, Image PopUp plugin.

Image Lightbox

Lightbox Gallery

Video Lightbox

Screenshots

FAQ

You need to select the .zip file only, there is no need to extract the zip file, just upload it.

You need to open your post/page editor and type the video url(YouTube, Vimeo) and choose pop-up thumbnail.
Here is an example.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZb_gat5YCY"><img src="http://demo.wpdevart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/121-1024x576.jpg" alt="121" width="474" height="267" class="alignnone size-large" /></a>