Simplelightbox
by aknieriem · Uncategorized
Touch-friendly image lightbox for mobile and desktop without requiring jQuery
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 53/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Open vulnerability
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “image”, “lightbox” and “modal” 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.
53 health vs 58 average across 25,751 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.1%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 32.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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.
Removal-risk signals
45/100Maintenance 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 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1158 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.3.0; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 11 reviews, smoothed to 4.26★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1158 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| lightbox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| modal your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| overlay your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| simple 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
- “image”, “lightbox” and “modal” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.5K · 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
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
3.2y ago
latest release · v2.14.4 · 31 Aug 2023
38
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 81% 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 24 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 26 Jan 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ zhongxiyi2.0y ago
Very good plugin! Very good plugin! Very good plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Aleksandar4.1y ago
Very good plugin. The only plugin that successfully opens my lazily loaded .webp thumbnails. Thank you very much! This topic was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Aleksandar. This topic was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Aleksandar. This topic was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Aleksandar.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sammuelhg4.9y ago
Nice This topic was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by sammuelhg.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ KJA4U5.6y ago
I like it. Easy to use with a simple functional settings dash board.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aommundsen6.0y ago
I love this plugin as it does its job good and does not have any bloatware in the admin panel. Also when reporting a bug in the forum, the author released a new version with a fix within only two hours. All in all, great plugin, no bloatware, and great support!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ niguramu6.5y ago
Pinching images for smartphones was easily implemented.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ altos10.1y ago
It’s really nice! Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lusbg200110.7y ago
Very good plugin! I had to change some options to see captions and next/prev arrows and now it works just fine! Great work, @aknieriem!
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (2.14.4). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.
- Open Medium · 6.4 Multiple Plugins <= (Various Versions) - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored DOM-Based Cross-Site Scripting via SimpleLightbox JavaScript Library ↗2025-05-19 CVE-2024-5878 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.14.4 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 8.1.12 · WP 6.3.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 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
1 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 191 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "modal", "overlay" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-11-12 2K+ → 1K+ down after 438 days in tier
- 2023-09-01 1K+ → 2K+ up after 72 days in tier
- 2023-06-21 2K+ → 1K+ down after 15 days in tier
- 2023-06-06 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-05 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-04 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-03 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-06-02 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 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).
-
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
Easy Modal 7K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags B - S Simple Lightbox 100K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
-
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
LightPress Lightbox 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Simplelightbox into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/simplelightbox" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Simplelightbox — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Simplelightbox: 1K+ active installs, 5.0★ (11 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simplelightbox
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