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LightPress Lightbox

By Firelight

Design & Themes / Themes & Templates

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

LightPress Lightbox Review - In-Depth Analysis

LightPress Lightbox is a simple and lightweight lightbox plugin for WordPress. It allows images and galleries to open in a beautiful lightbox interface.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.84/10

User Rating

4.6/5 (based on 72+ reviews)

Active Installations

40,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

LightPress Lightbox is a popular, very lightweight lightbox plugin for WordPress. It is active on 40,000 websites. After activation, settings will appear under 'Lightbox' on your website's main admin menu, and images and galleries will open in a nice lightbox.

To make images open in the lightbox, you need to set images to 'Link To:' media file. For image blocks, this setting is on the toolbar at the top of the block. For galleries, this setting is on the sidebar by other block options.

LightPress offers both free and pro versions. The free version includes features like automatic detection of images, customizable colors, and slideshow options. The pro version adds advanced features such as priority support, modern lightbox designs, and the ability to open videos and external content.

Comparing to Alternatives

LightPress Lightbox is a well-established lightbox plugin with a strong reputation, but it faces competition from several other popular lightbox plugins in the WordPress ecosystem.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Long-term reliability with over 10 years of use reported by users
Easy to configure and optimize for performance
Clean and functional user interface for photo galleries
Works seamlessly with new themes without issues
High user satisfaction with a 4.6-star average rating

Weaknesses

Has had multiple medium severity security vulnerabilities in the past
Security fixes required updates to address stored cross-site scripting issues
Security risk score is moderate at 5 out of 10
Some users may prefer more modern or feature-rich alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin enjoys overwhelmingly positive feedback with 90% of ratings being 4 stars or higher, reflecting strong user satisfaction and reliability.

Positive highlights

"Works very well and easy to configure" — binarypusher
"Very reliable! Have used for 10+ years without issues" — rosie4tune
"Best Lightbox Plugin" — iLexx
"Just works with every new theme" — inspirationally
"Clean, functional, reliable UI" — scorpress

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Past security vulnerabilities requiring updates
Moderate security risk score

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a dependable, easy-to-use lightbox plugin with a long track record of stability and minimal maintenance.

Not ideal for

Users who prioritize cutting-edge security features or require the latest advanced functionalities may want to consider alternatives due to past security issues.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a reliable and easy-to-configure lightbox solution suitable for most users.

Pro version

The pro version typically includes enhanced customization options, additional effects, and priority support, although specific premium features are not detailed.

Final Verdict

LightPress Lightbox stands out as a mature and reliable plugin with a strong user base and high satisfaction ratings. Its ease of use and long-term stability make it a solid choice for users needing a straightforward lightbox solution.

However, the plugin has experienced several medium severity security vulnerabilities in the past, which have been addressed in updates. Users should ensure they keep the plugin updated and consider their security needs when choosing this plugin over alternatives.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free LightPress Lightbox plugin.

Lightbox

Image gallery

Photo display

Screenshots

FAQ

If you have problems with WP jQuery Lightbox, please make sure you try these steps before asking for help. If you ask for help and I find any of these steps would fix the problem, I will just link you back here to do the work yourself.

Make sure your site is not throwing any javascript errors. Use your browsers javascript console to find out.

If you’re running a custom theme:

Make sure you have wp_head(); just before the closing </head> tag of your theme, or you will break many plugins, which generally use this hook to reference JavaScript files.
For the same reason, always have wp_footer(); just before the closing </body> tag of your theme.
Many JavaScript optimizers, combiners, minifiers, etc. conflict with wp_localize_script, used to configure this plugin and many others.

If you have problems with jQuery Lightbox; first disable all JavaScript-optimizing plugins. (Optimize Scripts, W3 Total Cache, WP Minify etc)
If you develop JavaScript optimizers for WordPress, please play nice with the default API…
More info about this issue

Lastly: