WordPress stands as the most popular website builder and content management system globally. Despite its long history dating back to 2003, its default appearance might seem outdated. Thankfully, the internet offers an extensive array of themes and plugins, allowing users to spruce up their WordPress sites with various visual elements and functionalities.
Among these additions, the image gallery holds significant importance. The best wordpress gallery plugin you opt for can impact crucial aspects such as your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) performance, user experience, and even loading speed. In this piece, we’ll discuss the four top WordPress photo gallery plugins for 2023, right after outlining the key factors to consider when selecting the right one for your needs.
Which Plugin is Right for You?
The plugins listed below share many common features, but each has its unique aspects. So, when you’re checking out what they can do, focus on the tools that offer the most essential functions for your specific project. Here are some features to keep an eye out for while choosing wordpress gallery plugin:
- Different layout formats like masonry or mosaic
- Image protection (for example, no right-click protection)
- Animations (on hover, on click, etc.) and transitions
- Size reduction and features similar to lazy loading
- Customization options (such as fonts, colors, etc.) to match your brand’s style
- Ways to share images on social media
- Commenting options
Top 4 Gallery Plugins to Try Out in 2023!
Now, let’s check out the leading WordPress gallery plugins currently available in 2023.
- FooGallery
Developer – FooPlugin
Active Installations – Over 100,000
FooGallery tops our list as the first entirely free plugin. If you’ve been around WordPress for a while, you might recognize its creators from their earlier venture, FooBox. FooGallery comes with a range of features and customizations. This means that you can easily create stunning galleries that can be tailored to suit the look and feel of your site. But one of the main advantages of FooGallery is that it has a focus on gallery performance and SEO.
Key Features:
Similar to most comparable plugins, FooGallery wordpress masonry gallery provides both free and premium features. Here are some of the standout ones.
- A collection of seven pre-made templates, including the Masonry Gallery with images of alternating heights, Simple Portfolio, Carousel Gallery, and more.
- The plugin offers alt and title attributes for all images in a gallery, integrates with Yoast SEO sitemap and AIOSEO sitemap plugins, and more.
- FooGallery includes various lazy loading options, a simple pagination feature, optimized content layout shifts, and other performance optimization tools.
- NextGEN
Developer – Imagely
Active Installations – Over 500,000
NextGEN Gallery holds the top spot as the most popular gallery plugin on WordPress. It boasts an impressive current rating of 4.3 and has been downloaded a staggering 11.7 million times. Its widespread usage ensures that both the free and paid versions undergo consistent updates and receive new features regularly.
The free version offers an array of functionalities, including the ability to incorporate slideshows, create albums, utilize lightboxes, and even add your personalized logo to images. If you opt for the premium version, you unlock a host of additional features and receive comprehensive support.
Key Features:
- Three gallery styles: Imagebrowser, slideshow, thumbnail.
- Two album styles: Compact and extended.
- Gutenberg support: Seamlessly integrate the NexGE
- Modula
Developer – WPChill
Active Installations – Over 100,000
Modula sets itself apart as an image gallery plugin that operates differently compared to others in the market. Its standout feature lies in the user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, which simplifies the process of creating customized galleries.
While advanced users can delve into CSS customization, Modula’s masonry gallery wordpress default setup ensures that anyone can swiftly grasp its functionality. After creating your desired gallery, deploying it on any post or page within your WordPress setup is as easy as using a simple shortcode snippet.
Key Features:
- Integrations with popular website builders such as Beaver Builder, Elementor, and Divi Builder.
- Three gallery types: Creative, Custom grid, and Masonry.
- Image and gallery settings: Adjust gutter size, width, image size, height, border size, border radius, border color, shadow size, and shadow color.
- Shuffle feature: Display images in a random order within the gallery.
- Photo Gallery by 10Web
Developer – 10Web
Active Installations – Over 200,000
Photo Gallery by 10Web strikes an appealing balance between user-friendly simplicity and advanced features. It’s a great choice for both novices and seasoned users seeking extensive customization options.
This plugin presents 10 premium gallery layouts, ranging from masonry to slideshow, carousel, and blog styles. Additionally, it boasts a fully customizable lightbox equipped with 15 different transition effects.
To protect your work, the plugin offers image watermarking and right-click protection options. Moreover, all images and galleries are indexed by Google, enhancing the visibility of your pages in search results.
Key Features:
- Enhanced Page Navigation:
Organized galleries and albums contribute to a more professional-looking and easily navigable website, ultimately providing a better user experience. - Modern Web Design:
Incorporating relevant, high-resolution photos in attractive layouts is integral to achieving a well-designed website that yields results. - Full Control:
The plugin empowers you with flexibility in designing and customizing your galleries. You’ll have complete control over the style, optimization, and display of visual content on your website.
Conclusion:
Based on our online research, it’s evident that an increasing number of webmasters are opting to incorporate photo galleries into their websites. This addition aims to enhance content quality and improve reader engagement. Frankly, compared to plain text, images tend to capture visitors’ attention more effortlessly.
Among these masonry gallery wordpress plugin, FooGallery stands as the best of all with great free features offering and an affordable pricing structure.
