5 Best WordPress Gallery Plugins A Hands-on Comparison

On the hunt for the best WordPress gallery plugins to display great-looking galleries on your site? There are a ton of popular and well-rated gallery plugins at WordPress.org and other marketplaces, so sifting through all your options is a bit like that needle in a haystack people are always talking about.To help, Im going to go hands-on with five of your best options. For each of the WordPress gallery plugins on this list, Ill:Share its free features.Show you what a sample gallery looks like using the exact same set of images for easy comparison (yes I actually used all of these on my own site).Tell you some of the cool things that you can do with the Pro version. PluginFree Version?Starting Price For ProEase Of UseModula GalleryYes$295/5NextGEN GalleryYes$793/5Envira GalleryYes$295/5Photo Gallery by 10webYes$303/5FooGalleryYes$494/5The five best WordPress gallery plugins in 2019To give you an idea of how all of these WordPress gallery plugins function, Ill create a gallery using t he exact same set of images with each plugin.To make this as fair as possible, Im going to use the default settings for each plugin.This isnt a perfect representation of what a plugin can do because many WordPress gallery plugins let you choose from multiple gallery layouts, but it will give you a good idea of the default experience and what you can create without any learning curve.1. Modula Modula Image Gallery Author(s): MachoThemesCurrent Version: 2.1.6Last Updated: September 13, 2019modula-best-grid-gallery.2.1.6.zip 94%Ratings 510,329Downloads WP 4.6+Requires Best forpeople who want galleries that look great without requiring any tinkering (though it does let you tinker, if you want).Modulas unique selling point is that it lets you create beautiful responsive grid galleries with very little configuration. It does this by splitting its gallery builder into two parts:Basic you choose a few minor settings, upload your images, and Modula puts it together into a neat grid gallery. If you want, you can stop here and still have a great-looking end product.Advanced this optional settings area lets you go back and refine how your gallery looks and functions.Some other things you can do with the free version of Modula are:Pull captions/titles from image metadataAdd social share buttons to gallery images, and choose which networks to includeAdd animation effects when images loadUse a Lightbox galleryAdd hover effects on mouseoverShuffle images on each page load to create a different arrangement each timeExample gallery using Modula default settingsMost notable reasons to consider the premium versionFilterable galleries, where users can click a category tag to only filter out gallery items with that tag (this is especially helpful for portfolios, though you can use it for anything)_More lightboxes, animation effects, etc.Remove the 20 image per gallery limit in the free versionThe Pro version starts at $29.2. NextGEN Gallery WordPress Gallery Plugin Nex tGEN Gallery Author(s): ImagelyCurrent Version: 3.2.18Last Updated: September 18, 2019nextgen-gallery.3.2.18.zip 84%Ratings 27,633,247Downloads 4.0.0Requires Best forpeople who work with images for a living (e.g. photographers) and need deep functionality beyond just showcasing images in a stylish gallery. If you just want a simple gallery plugin, its overkill.NextGEN Gallery is the most popular gallery plugin at WordPress.org. While the default galleries in the free version dont look that snazzy, its highly customizable and has very deep functionality. For that reason, its especially popular with photographers and other people who work with images for a living.The free version gives you a few different gallery/album styles, but most of the unique functionality comes in the various premium versions (more on those in a second).Beyond the album styles, you also get image management features like:Automatic watermarksEasy image resizingAlbum supportExample gallery using NextGEN Ga llery default settingsMost notable reasons to consider the premium versionMany more gallery style options (these let you create much nicer-looking galleries than the default example above)Image commentsSocial sharingImage deep linksSell images via payment gateways or WooCommerce/Easy Digital Downloads integrationsThe cheapest Pro bundle starts at $79.3. Envira Gallery Gallery Plugin for WordPress Envira Photo Gallery Author(s): Envira Gallery TeamCurrent Version: 1.7.0Last Updated: October 7, 2019envira-gallery-lite.zip 96%Ratings 1,758,769Downloads 4.4.0Requires Best forboth casual users and power users. Envira Gallery does a good job of keeping its interface beginner-friendly, while still giving you access to more advanced features, like the ability to sell photos via WooCommerce.Envira Gallery is a popular option that comes in both a free Lite version, as well as a more full-featured premium version.The Lite version gives you basic controls for things like:Number of colu mnsLightboxLazy loadingMany of the more advanced features are only available in the premium version, though.Example gallery using Envira Gallery default settingsMost notable reasons to consider the premium versionSocial media integration, including an option to import images from InstagrameCommerce support via WooCommerceVideo galleriesDeep linking and pagination for large galleriesAutomatic watermark and image protectionLightroom add-on to automatically sync photo galleries with your Adobe Lightroom collections.The Pro version starts at $29, though that plan does not include all features.4. Photo Gallery by 10web Photo Gallery by 10Web Mobile-Friendly Image Gallery Author(s): Best forlike NextGEN Gallery, Photo Gallery by 10web skews more towards power users who need support for lots of images. Its overkill if youre just looking for a simple solution to display a few galleries.Photo Gallery by 10web is another popular option with deep functionality, including an option to sell images with the premium eCommerce extension.The free version comes with a few basic gallery layouts, but many of the better-looking layouts, like the masonry option, are only available in the paid version.Other neat free features include:Full video support so that you can create video galleriesAutomatic watermarksAlbum supportImport gallery photos from InstagramExample gallery using Photo Gallery by 10web default settingsMost notable reasons to consider the premium versionHonestly, much of the plugins unique functionality is locked away behind the premium version, including:eCommerce functionalityMore gallery layoutsSocial sharingSlideshow effectsThe Pro version starts at $30.5. FooGallery FooGallery Image Gallery WordPress Plugin Author(s): FooPluginsCurrent Version: 1.8.12Last Updated: September 5, 2019foogallery.zip 94%Ratings 1,913,843Downloads WP 3.9+Requires Best forcasual or power users who want customizable galleries, but do not need eCommerce functionality (FooGall ery doesnt have it).Like Modula and Envira, FooGallery is one of the simpler WordPress gallery plugins to use. The free version lets you set up your own:Hover effectsLightboxAutomatic captions/titlesPaginationRetina supportGallery template (you get 6 options in the free version)Example gallery using FooGallery default settingsMost notable reasons to consider the premium versionSupport for videos in galleriesMore gallery templatesInfinite scroll for image loadingMore loading and hover effectsCategories and tags for imagesReal-time gallery filteringThe Pro version starts at $49.Picking the best WordPress gallery plugin for your needsYou certainly dont need five WordPress photo gallery plugins on your site, so which is the best solution for you?If youre looking for the options that let you create a great-looking image gallery in as little time as possible, youll probably be happiest with Modula. Envira Gallery is also a viable option, though the free version of Envira is a little more limited.On the other hand, if youre looking for a gallery plugin to help you manage tons of images/albums and maybe even sell the images in your galleries, youll likely be better off with NextGEN Gallery, Envira Gallery Pro, or Photo Gallery by 10web.FooGallery is also a solid option that fits in somewhere between those two extremes.And no matter which plugin you end up choosing, make sure to optimize your images and maybe even consider an image optimization plugin.Have you used any of these WordPress gallery plugins? Which one is your favorite and why? A hands-on look at 5 popular #WordPress gallery plugins. #comparison