Simple Colorbox
by Ryan Hellyer · Uncategorized
Also makes 13 other plugins · 76.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Description: Adds a very simple Colorbox to your linked 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 51/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Open vulnerability
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+28%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “colorbox” for “simple colorbox”. “colorbox” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “simple colorbox” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
51 health vs 58 average across 25,752 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.4%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 41.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.4.34, well behind 6.8.
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 3260 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.4.34; the current branch is 6.8
4.8★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.24★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3260 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| layover your tag | #5 | #3 | 0 |
| simple colorbox | #17 | #14 | 0 |
| colorbox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hover your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| lightbox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| simple your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches 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
- Swap “colorbox” for “simple colorbox”. “colorbox” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “simple colorbox” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 245 · 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
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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
11.5y ago
latest release · v1.6.1 · 28 Apr 2015
11
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 99% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 11 months ago; the previous band took 24 months to cross, which places it about 54% of the way through.
Install history since 19 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Anonymous11.5y ago
Super lightweight and working right out of the box. And actually can be easily styled if you know a bit of css. Thnx a lot Ryan for sharing :).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ phenn11.5y ago
Nothing could be easier. Plugin works great.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Damiaan van Vliet11.6y ago
Great simple lightbox. Indeed, install plug-in and it works. Easy to use.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ weigertj11.7y ago
Great plugin! I looked for a new responsive plugin to replace jQuery Colorbox plugin. I tried 6-7 very popular lightbox and colorbox plugins and this was the only one that rightaway worked for me with NextCellent Gallery. It perfectly does what it has to do.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hatul11.7y ago
I like its.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ SiamKreative11.8y ago
This is the best WordPress Colorbox plugin for developers. There are no settings page, all is done with PHP constants. Ryan, the developer of the plugin is friendly and quickly updated the plugin after I asked him. Keep up the good work 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Frank Gomez12.2y ago
Too many plugins try to do too much. This is why they have issues. Just do it, and do it well. KISS.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jessepearson12.2y ago
I create custom themes for clients and I was looking for a solution that would not only pop up a lightbox/colorbox for images I created in custom templates, but also images the users add via the main WP editor. This does both.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (1.6.1). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- Open Medium · 6.4 Simple Colorbox <= 1.6.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-09-26 CVE-2025-60124 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.6.1 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
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
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Description: Adds a very simple Colorbox to your linked images."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 7 read like questions a user would type.
- ! 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 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 709 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "hover", "layover" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-12-02 2K+ → 1K+ down after 723 days in tier
- 2023-12-10 3K+ → 2K+ down after 432 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 4K+ → 3K+ down after 381 days in tier
- 2021-09-18 5K+ → 4K+ down after 235 days in tier
- 2021-01-26 6K+ → 5K+ down after 465 days in tier
- 2019-10-19 8K+ → 6K+ down after 1039 days in tier
- 2016-12-14 5K+ → 8K+ up
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★ · 2 shared tags B -
Simplelightbox 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP ImageViewer 700+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Colorbox into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simple-colorbox" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simple Colorbox — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simple Colorbox: 1K+ active installs, 4.8★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-colorbox
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