Slenderbox
by Matthew Petroff · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Overlays images on the current page using Slenderbox, a lightweight and framework-free lightbox plugin that can be used with valid HTML5.
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 47/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
40+
≈46 estimated
Momentum
-12%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “image”, “lightbox” and “photo” 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.
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.1%
of downloads still active
At least 40 of 3.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,783 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 7+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.0.31, 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 2887 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.0.31; the current branch is 7.1
4.6★ over 10 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2887 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 | ||
| photo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| picture your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| slenderbox your tag | Not checked yet | ||
0 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
- “image”, “lightbox” and “photo” 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 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 74 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #21,400 to #22,800, alongside the other plugins at 40+ 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
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
7.9y ago
latest release · v1.1.2 · 9 Dec 2018
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “40+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 60% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Jan 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ shakerk010.0y ago
To start off, I have spent countless hours searching for a Lightbox plugin, compatible with an old verison of NextGen Gallery (version 1.9.13). Every plugin, that I have found, was missing something (e.g. wasn’t responsive as advertised or simply just didn’t work). This plugin gets the job done. However, Slenderbox have little to none options avaiable, but in my opinion, there is no need for them, plugin works excellent as it is. To sum up, Slenderbox works with and old version of NextGen Gallery (version 1.9.13) – just set effects in gallery options to none, is fully responsive, and there is no need for options.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dymskiy11.5y ago
Used with the Responsive Gallery Grid (same small gallery plugin)… It’s working! )))
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kat0811.7y ago
This is a simple and very smooth lightbox. It works perfectly out of the box, almost no customization is needed. It will display single images from a post or page in a lightbox. Very useful. This would six star plug in if it had a slideshow autoplay button and if it also had the option for adding social media icons in the lightbox. I am curious if there is a way to add this functionality, in particular the social media. May be in the next update?…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Raynys12.0y ago
Don’t work with galleries and don’t display captions, very bad for images SEO 🙁
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ artmaug12.0y ago
Works like a charm, five stars for sure!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ReneODeay12.8y ago
I like it. both for the ease of use, and the plugin author’s quick response to small border problem.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cpetroff13.9y ago
Works well, smooth, and quick to load.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dauerkarte30b13.9y ago
After trying a lot of other plugins, this one is the one. After activation it runs fast & smooth out of the box … and looks really good. Thanks for the great work!
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 4 Nov 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 4 headings and 4 lists.
- ! Enough to quote 430 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "photo", "picture" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-12 50+ → 40+ down after 56 days in tier
- 2026-04-17 40+ → 50+ up after 32 days in tier
- 2026-03-16 50+ → 40+ down after 578 days in tier
- 2024-08-15 60+ → 50+ down after 428 days in tier
- 2023-06-14 70+ → 60+ down after 15 days in tier
- 2023-05-30 60+ → 70+ up after 55 days in tier
- 2023-04-05 70+ → 60+ down after 183 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 80+ → 70+ down after 508 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 -
LightPress Lightbox 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags B -
Easy Watermark 30K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags C -
WP Colorbox 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
WP fancybox 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C - J JJ NextGen JQuery Slider 700+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Slenderbox into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/slenderbox" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Slenderbox — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Slenderbox: 40+ active installs, 4.6★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/slenderbox
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