EWSEL Lightbox For Galleries
by EWSEL Team · Media
Makes the WordPress galleries use a lightbox script called ColorBox to display the fullsize images.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
300+
≈350 estimated
Momentum
+1%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “gallery”, “jquery” and “lightbox” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
46 health vs 62 average across 3,305 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 300 of 17.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,327 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, well behind 7.1.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 4529 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 7.1
4.6★ over 7 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4529 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| colorbox gallery | #21 | #17 | up 1 |
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| jquery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| lightbox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcodes your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “gallery”, “jquery” and “lightbox” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 163 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #10,100 to #11,100, alongside the other plugins at 300+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “300+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 14 months ago; the previous band took 14 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 5 Mar 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ digbymaass10.2y ago
It works, but I can’t get titles/captions to display. No support requests have ever been answered and it is now 2 years out of date.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ David Kuteesa11.5y ago
Works with just an installation: Maybe a simple breakdown to those that don’t know how to use: 1. Install plugin, Activate 2. go to post, add media, select “create gallery” (i know it is that hidden such that I had never seen it too.) and whoosh! It all feels like Jesus!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kevin Phillips11.7y ago
Greate simple plugin that I recommend to use with my plugin “Autostock”
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Makabe12.2y ago
Nice, simple and elegant 😉
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sackerly12.3y ago
Delightfully easy to use! Very elegant.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ oakblood313.4y ago
There are a lot of lightbox plugins out there based on ColorBox. If you just want to apply a lightbox display to the standard WordPress gallery this simple plugin does the trick nicely.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Zlatev13.5y ago
Well coded. Would recommend over other alternatives.
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 3 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Makes the WordPress galleries use a lightbox script called ColorBox to display the fullsize images."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 399 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "jquery", "shortcodes" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-09-13 400+ → 300+ down after 409 days in tier
- 2024-07-31 500+ → 400+ down after 307 days in tier
- 2023-09-28 600+ → 500+ down after 236 days in tier
- 2023-02-04 700+ → 600+ down after 123 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 1K+ → 700+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- J jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries 4K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
-
WP Featherlight Disabled 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C - C Cleaner Gallery 2K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags D
-
fancyBox 3 for WordPress 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D -
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for EWSEL Lightbox For Galleries into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/ewsel-lightbox-for-galleries" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="EWSEL Lightbox For Galleries — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> EWSEL Lightbox For Galleries: 300+ active installs, 4.6★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/ewsel-lightbox-for-galleries
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