In this article, I’ve created a list of the best gallery plugins for WordPress.
On the page for WordPress plugins, a search for “gallery” yields nearly 3,000 results for you to select from.
It’s an understatement to say that the number is mind-boggling.
It can be time-consuming to test all the plugins that are available to see which one works the best. Instead, you can use the list of the gallery plugins in WordPress that I’ve created to narrow down your options.
The Benefits Of Using Image Gallery Plugins For WordPress
If you don’t use a gallery plugin, you’ll be forced to use the standard image gallery included in WordPress’ core feature set. Is this something that works? Yes, it does. However, it is quite restricted, and you will not be able to achieve the best website design using this gallery.
Install a gallery plugin to add visual elements to your site that will capture your visitors’ interest and provide them with a user-friendly browsing experience.
You can find both free and paid gallery plugins, depending on your requirements. I’ve put together a varied list of the best gallery plugins for WordPress, so there’s something for everyone.
Best Gallery Plugins For WordPress
- Modula Image Gallery – Best free gallery plugin for WordPress
- Envira Photo Gallery – Simple gallery plugin for WordPress
- Flagallery Photo Portfolio – Developer friendly gallery plugin for WordPress
- NextGEN Gallery – Best WordPress gallery plugin for artists and photographers
- Gmedia Photo Gallery – Plugin with categories
- FooGallery – Ideal for uploading multiple images at once
- Photo Gallery By 10Web – Plugin with thumbnails
Reviews Of Gallery Plugins In WordPress
1. Modula Image Gallery – Best Free Gallery Plugin For WordPress
Modula Image Gallery is one of the most lightweight and responsive photo gallery plugins for WordPress. It appeals to me because it allows creating completely customizable and unique galleries.
Modula also allows you to share video galleries in addition to photographs.
You can adjust the size of each picture in the gallery manually with this plugin’s custom grid function. Simply select the custom grid and drag the corners of an image to change the dimensions like width, height, and aspect ratio.
Modula Image Gallery WordPress plugin is suitable for both novice and experienced WordPress users. You can add CSS to different galleries.
WordPress users can benefit from the free plugin. But if you want lightbox styles, hover effects, or unlimited images, you’ll need to upgrade to one of their premium options that start at $29.
2. Envira Photo Gallery – Simple Gallery Plugin For WordPress
Envira Photo Gallery has an incredibly user-friendly interface. With its drag-and-drop feature, you’ll be able to add images. You can also adjust the scale of your visual elements.
You’ll start with one of the available templates and then tweak it to your liking. Envira Gallery also has video gallery options in addition to images.
This plugin is appealing to me because it makes it simple to be organized. You can choose cover images and personalize the tags for sorting after you’ve added images to an album.
All the galleries are mobile-responsive, so visitors using a smartphone or tablet will have no trouble accessing, displaying, or scrolling through content.
Envira Photo Gallery works with WooCommerce and integrates with social media, making it simple to share your photos on different platforms and to encourage your social media followers to buy items from your eCommerce website.
If you’re a freelance photographer, you can also add watermark and password protection to galleries. Lightbox mode and slideshows can be viewed in full-screen mode, allowing visitors to get a closer look at the pictures in your gallery. Envira Photo Gallery is a common option among photographers and artists because of these features.
3. Flagallery Photo Portfolio – Ideal For Uploading Multiple Images At Once
Flagallery Photo Portfolio has a unique feature that we haven’t seen in any of the other image gallery plugins for WordPress on this list. This plugin allows you to build audio and music playlists, in addition to picture and video galleries.
Another advantage of this plugin is the ability to upload several files at once. It’s ideal for websites that want to put up a large amount of content at the same time.
The plugin makes it easy to handle all of your visual content from a single dashboard. It’s an easy process from there to build completely customizable collections.
The plugin is SEO-friendly and is compatible with all major web browsers.
4. NextGEN Gallery – Best WordPress Gallery Plugin For Artists And Photographers
NextGEN Gallery is one of the most common gallery plugins in WordPress, with over 900,000 active users.
It has a large number of gallery features, which makes it quite popular. There isn’t a standard NextGEN gallery, unlike other gallery plugins in WordPress.
You’ll need to decide between two key styles: slideshow and thumbnail. You’ll then need to determine whether you want an extended or compact album format. Then you’ll have virtually endless options for scale, timing, effects, transitions, and other factors.
This plugin is ideal for artists and photographers to highlight their latest work. Hotlink protection and watermarks are great features. Deep linking is possible as well in the lightbox galleries.
NextGEN Gallery has a lot more to offer. They also have eCommerce capabilities, allowing you to sell photos directly from your website.
This plugin is free to install, but if you want advanced features like watermarks, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium edition.
5. Gmedia Photo Gallery – Category Gallery Plugin For WordPress
Similar to Flagallery, the Gmedia Photo Gallery plugin allows you to play music and view video and photo galleries on your website. You are able to enable comments on your albums so that visitors to your website can provide feedback about your content. It is possible to arrange your galleries by assigning categories and adding tags. The plugin also has editing capabilities. Although you might not need all of these features, websites can benefit from an all-in-one plugin like this.
The drag-and-drop feature is simple to use, and the results are mobile-friendly.
The Gmedia iOS mobile app is one of my favorites. You can upload files to WordPress using the app, without having to transfer them to another device. This feature will save you some time if you’re taking business photos with your smartphone. You can snap a photo with your phone and upload it right away. It’s that simple.
6. FooGallery – Developer Friendly Gallery Plugin For WordPress
Another plugin that is quite responsive is FooGallery. The user experience will be enhanced as visitors browse and explore the images on your website with these retina-ready galleries.
It’s free to use, but there’s a paid edition with more functionality and benefits. Unlike other image gallery plugins for WordPress, the free option includes a wide range of templates. With this plugin, you’ll have a lot of templates to choose from.
You can make changes to things like:
- Paging
- Hover effects
- Filtering
- Captions
- Border sizes
- Loading icons
- Loading effects
- Shadows
- Themes
Developers can use FooGallery’s custom CSS. Another interesting feature of this plugin is the infinite scroll, which is a great choice for those of you who don’t want images spread through several pages in a gallery. With the FooGallery plugin, you can even manage video galleries on your WordPress website. It also comes with tools for creating boilerplate extensions.
7. Photo Gallery By 10Web – Plugin With Thumbnails
Photo Gallery by 10Web is a nice plugin to consider since it provides so many different possibilities for displaying photos.
- Image browser
- Thumbnails
- Slideshow
- Mosaic
- Masonry
You can add a filmstrip above the photos in slideshows. This way users can skip ahead instead of being required to display one at a time. Each slideshow’s dimensions can also be fully customized.
A lightbox will appear if you select a picture in the thumbnail view. You can also redirect each picture to a different URL, but I prefer the lightbox version.
The Masonry view allows you to show thumbnails with different dimensions based on the picture ratio. If you have a lot of pictures of different sizes, this is the way to go.
The mosaic view is quite popular. It uses the masonry view concept, but the thumbnails are resized to fill the entire content area. I really like the visual impact this has on the page, and I think it’s a perfect way for your website to stand out.
It’s worth mentioning that in order to use any of these view options, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version.
Social sharing, eCommerce integration, and watermark protection are all available through 10Web’s Photo Gallery. Overall, it’s a great option to think about.
How To Select Gallery Plugins In WordPress
There are a few items to bear in mind when you look for a gallery plugin. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What features are you looking for?
- Do you need mobile uploading?
- Will you be using the gallery only for photos, or will you be using it for other forms of media as well? What about videos? Do you have any audio files?
- What is the most you are prepared to pay?
Here’s the methodology that I used to come up with the list:
Speed
Having a lot of photos will make your website slower to load. You want a quick-loading plugin that won’t bog down your site when you add more images.
Functionality
Do you only want grids, or do you need slideshow options? Do you just want to upload images, or do you also require audio and video galleries? Is eCommerce integration required? These are only a few of the feature sets to consider when selecting a plugin.
Cost
Most photo gallery plugins for WordPress are available in a freemium model. In most instances, though, you’ll need to upgrade to a pro edition to get access to the best functionality. You should look into the feature sets for each pricing tier.
Usability
Providing a plugin with a lot of features is awesome, but not at the expense of its usability. Some photo gallery plugins for WordPress are designed for programmers and others who are more tech-savvy. There are others that come with drag-and-drop features that are simple to use regardless of your technical skills.
Final Thoughts
Installing a gallery plugin is highly recommended if you want to make your image content visually appealing. Don’t settle for the standard image gallery that comes with WordPress.
There are several photo gallery plugins for WordPress. Instead of going through each one by one, here are the best gallery plugins for WordPress:
- Modula Image Gallery – Best free gallery plugin for WordPress
- Envira Photo Gallery – Simple gallery plugin for WordPress
- Flagallery Photo Portfolio – Developer friendly gallery plugin for WordPress
- NextGEN Gallery – Best WordPress gallery plugin for artists and photographers
- Gmedia Photo Gallery – Plugin with categories
- FooGallery – Ideal for uploading multiple images at once
- Photo Gallery By 10Web – Plugin with thumbnails
Use this list as a guide to help you narrow down your options. Some of these image gallery plugins for WordPress provide more functionality than others; it all depends on your needs. Regardless of your choice, any plugin on this list will boost your site from the perspective of your users.