WPThumbs
Themes Plugins By purpose By industry Best-of lists Fix it guides
Free Plugin by Arno Welzel v5.12.0

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe

Integration of PhotoSwipe (http://photoswipe.com) for WordPress.

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe

The facts

Rating
4.9★ from 115
Active installs
20k+
Price
Free
Last updated
28 Aug 2026
Added
Nov 2017
Requires WP
6.5
Tested up to
WP 7.1
Downloads
1,060,610

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe is a WordPress plugin that integrates the PhotoSwipe image viewer into your posts or pages. It displays linked images using PhotoSwipe, whether they are part of a gallery or standalone images. The plugin also supports displaying EXIF data from certain image types.

This plugin is suitable for users who want to enhance their image presentation on their WordPress site. It requires WordPress 5.3 and PHP 7.0 or higher, and it is important to ensure images are linked correctly to function properly.

Best for: This plugin suits WordPress users looking to improve image display on their sites.

What it does well

  • Integrates PhotoSwipe for enhanced image viewing
  • Displays EXIF data for supported image types
  • Works with both galleries and single images
  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
  • High rating and active installs indicate user satisfaction

Where it falls short

  • Requires WordPress 5.3 and PHP 7.0 or higher
  • Linking images correctly is crucial for functionality
  • Enabling attachment link checks may slow down the website

Verdict

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe offers a straightforward solution for enhancing image presentation, but users must ensure compatibility with their WordPress and PHP versions.

From the developer

Arno Welzel's own description of Lightbox with PhotoSwipe, lightly tidied.

This plugin integrates PhotoSwipe to WordPress. All linked images in a post or page will be displayed using PhotoSwipe, regardless if they are part of a gallery or single images.

More about the original version of PhotoSwipe see here: http://photoswipe.com

You can also display EXIF data from supported image types.

As of version 4.0.0 this plugin requires at least WordPress 5.3 and PHP 7.0. Older PHP version will cause problems. In this case you have to upgrade your PHP version or ask your hoster to do so. Please note that WordPress itself also recommends at least PHP 7.4 – see https://wordpress.org/about/requirements/.

Please keep in mind: not the visible thumbnail is relevant, but only the image link. Images should always be linked to the file and not to the attachment page. Since version 5.6.1 there is an option to fix attachment links which can be enabled if needed – however this may slow down your website since then all links on a page will be checked if they are attachment links.

Read the full description on the official page →

Tagged as

Alternatives

Other plugins for photo galleries.

Smart Slider 3

Responsive slider plugin to create sliders in visual editor easily. Build beautiful image slider, layer slider...

Free 800k+ installs 4.9★ (1,123)
Gallery

Gallery

91

FooGallery is a fast, responsive photo gallery and image gallery plugin with 7 gallery layouts, built-in light...

Free 100k+ installs 4.8★ (986)
Firelight Lightbox

Formerly Easy Fancybox. The most popular WordPress lightbox plugin. Simple, fast, and responsive. Opens images...

Free 200k+ installs 4.8★ (355)
Feeds for YouTube

The Feeds for YouTube plugin allows you to display customizable YouTube feeds from any YouTube channel.

Free 100k+ installs 4.9★ (200)