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Gallery PhotoBlocks

By WP Chill

Content Management /

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

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

Gallery PhotoBlocks Review - In-Depth Analysis

Create stunning image galleries with justified edges using a drag-and-drop builder. Add special effects and lightbox functionality for an enhanced viewing experience.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.83/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 76+ reviews)

Active Installations

3,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

6.08 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This is an image and photo gallery plugin perfect to make galleries with justified edges. You can zoom the images thanks to a fast lightbox. Add special effects to your grid gallery. Use our builder to create justified galleries.

The PhotoBlocks Grid Builder is the stellar feature that makes PhotoBlocks special and different from other galleries. With this tool, you can design the layout of your gallery simply by dragging the images. You can make a gallery with images spanning on more columns or rows.

Features include a drag-and-drop builder, pixel-perfect justified gallery, lightbox to zoom photos, special effects on mouse hover, and social sharing. The gallery is responsive, mobile-ready, and SEO friendly. It also supports full-width galleries and fast loading. Premium features include post galleries, CDN support, text blocks, filters, and additional hover effects.

Comparing to Alternatives

Gallery PhotoBlocks stands out in the WordPress gallery plugin space with its unique block-based approach and extensive customization options. While there are several alternatives available, this plugin offers a distinct user experience.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly customizable with numerous options
Intuitive and user-friendly interface
Strong visual design and layout capabilities
No paid version, fully functional free plugin
Regular updates addressing security issues

Weaknesses

Has had multiple security vulnerabilities in past versions
No pro version with advanced premium features
Security risk score indicates moderate risk history
Relies on users to update promptly for security fixes

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from 76 users and no negative reviews, user sentiment is overwhelmingly positive. Reviewers praise its ease of use, design flexibility, and powerful features.

Positive highlights

'Great plugin with a million options and does it all perfect.' - arhitecturalia
'Nice and intuitive.' - Kermit524
'Creative and simple.' - mihamacek
'Very powerful even in the free version, easy to create beautiful photo galleries.' - Wiebke Rettig
'Easy to use, beautiful appearance and design!' - mirian555

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Past security vulnerabilities requiring prompt updates
No premium support or features due to lack of pro version
Potential risk if users do not keep plugin updated

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a highly customizable and easy-to-use photo gallery plugin without needing premium features. Ideal for those comfortable managing updates to maintain security.

Not ideal for

Users requiring guaranteed top-tier security without manual updates or those looking for advanced premium features and dedicated support from a pro version.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes comprehensive gallery customization options, intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and shortcode support for easy embedding.

Final Verdict

Gallery PhotoBlocks is a robust and user-friendly gallery plugin that delivers excellent customization and design flexibility entirely for free. Its perfect user ratings reflect satisfaction with its features and ease of use.

However, users must be vigilant about keeping the plugin updated due to its history of security vulnerabilities. Those prioritizing security or advanced premium features may want to consider alternatives with active pro support.

Other Notable Features

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

image gallery

photo gallery

grid gallery

FAQ

Are you using Hostgator? Simply contact their support via phone or live chat to report mod security blockage. Send them the faulty link to a thumbnail.
If you are not on Hostgator but getting 403 errors then try adding these lines to your .htaccess file in the WordPress installation folder. Revert the modification if it has no effect and contact the hosting’s support.

SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off

Are you on Bluehost’s Optimized Hosting for WordPress? Make sure you turn off Varnish caching. It empties query strings.
Open your .htaccess file and ensure you do not have this line in it:

php_value mbstring.func_overload 2

Or something like this:

RewriteRule wp-content/plugins/(.*.php)$ – [R=404,L]

Make sure you have GD library. A possible error is “GD Library Error: imagecreatetruecolor does not exist – please contact your webhost and ask them to install the GD library”.
iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security) settings > System Tweaks > Configure Settings > Disable PHP in Plugins – Off. Also, System Tweaks > Filter Suspicious Query Strings – Disable.
Sucuri Security plugin > 1-Click Hardening – Do not use it.
WP All in ONE Security: WP Security > Firewall > Additional Firewall Rules (tabs at top of page) > Bad Query Strings – Untick.
AND/OR WP Security > Firewall > 6G Blacklist Firewall Rules (tabs at top of page) > Enable 6G Firewall Protection – Untick.