Lightbox for Wordpress Gallery
Removed from WordPress.org
wp.org closed this plugin on 2026-09-11. It's no longer installable or updated. If you're running it, plan a replacement: closures are often security-related and WordPress won't warn you.
Health
D 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews · Open vulnerability
Active installs
600+
≈680 estimated
Momentum
—
no download trend yet
Biggest opportunity: “colorbox”, “fancybox” and “gallery” 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.
47 health vs 62 average across 3,280 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 20K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,318 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.
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 2811 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.1.24; the current branch is 6.8
4.4★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2811 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 your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| fancybox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| justified gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| lightbox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “colorbox”, “fancybox” and “gallery” 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 · 1,438 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 116 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
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.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
7.7y ago
latest release · v1.2.5 · 19 Feb 2019
10
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 98% 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 17 Nov 2019
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Blamedutchie7.7y ago
Works, but without prev-next support in the galleries. This topic was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Blamedutchie.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kbb8.1y ago
Simple and Light, haven’t encountered any problems. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eliz828.7y ago
1 year ago i would have given 3 stars. But now plugin deserve 5 stars. Many bug fixes and new futures has been made.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BirgerKlaus8.9y ago
Fine working Plugin, except many other Lightbox Plugins this is the one that works with my ColorMag Theme. Great Work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ roxchou9.1y ago
Simple, lightweight and works right out of the box. Exactly what I was looking for. Great plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ScarLight9.6y ago
Hi, Just to add some details, the plugin did not work after I installed and placed the image as described in the instruction. However, when I added the keyword lightbox in the “Link Rel” under “Image Details > Advanced Options” the lightbox started to work. I had previous experience working with lightbox so hope this helps if someone ran into the same problem as I did.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pixelauflauf9.9y ago
Wenig Aufwand, wenn der Link zum Media File schon gesetzt wurde. Vielen Dank
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Webarella10.0y ago
Простой, быстрый лайтбокс. Единственный из многих перепробованных, который действительно заработал на сайте как надо. This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Webarella.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.2.5). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- 2026-09-19 CVE-2026-87848 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects 1.2.2 - 1.2.5 No patch available
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 2 languages, 0 at 90% or more
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.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
Not checked yet. The readme could not be read from WordPress.org on this visit.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-16 700+ → 600+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-15 600+ → 700+ up after 15 days in tier
- 2026-07-31 700+ → 600+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-07-29 600+ → 700+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-07-26 700+ → 600+ down after 245 days in tier
- 2025-11-23 800+ → 700+ down after 220 days in tier
- 2025-04-17 900+ → 800+ down after 67 days in tier
- 2025-02-09 800+ → 900+ up after 2 days in tier
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).
-
WP Colorbox 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
fancyBox 3 for WordPress 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D -
WP fancybox 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C -
WP ImageViewer 700+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A - F FancyBox Gallery 400+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
- S Simple Fancybox 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Lightbox into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/mpcx-lightbox" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Lightbox — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Lightbox: 600+ active installs, 4.4★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/mpcx-lightbox
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