10 Best Slideshow Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Slideshow has 1,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Slideshow
- 1
Slideshow Gallery
Closest matchSlideshow Gallery LITE
4.6 (742) 5,000+ active installsFeature content in a JavaScript powered slideshow gallery showcase on your WordPress website.
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 5 times the installs, last updated June 10, 2026.
- 2
4.2 (69) 3,000+ active installsDisplay your happy customers' Testimonials in a neat Responsive Slider
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 3 times the installs, last updated 25 days ago.
- 3
Slider by 10Web – Responsive Image Slider
4.5 (289) 10,000+ active installsSlider by 10Web plugin is the perfect slider solution for Wordpress.
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, no update since December 26, 2024.
- 4
Foyer – Digital Signage for WordPress
4.9 (27) 1,000+ active installsA free Digital Signage plugin for WordPress. Create and show off slideshows on your networked displays.
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, last updated March 19, 2026.
- 5
4.4 (47) 10,000+ active installsAllows your site to use common javascript libraries from Google's AJAX Libraries CDN, rather than from WordPress's own copies.
Shares the javascript, jquery tags on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, no update since November 28, 2017.
- 6
4.9 (45) 2,000+ active installsAdd popups to your site. Add links to pages/posts via a shortcode which will be opened in a popup browser window.
Shares the jquery, shortcode tags on WordPress.org. About 2 times the installs, no update since June 23, 2025.
- 7
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery
4.3 (4,339) 300,000+ active installsThe most popular gallery plugin that lets you create galleries and albums in seconds.
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 300 times the installs, last updated 3 days ago.
- 8
4.3 (240) 100,000+ active installsThe highly customizable lightbox for WordPress
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 100 times the installs, last updated February 24, 2026.
- 9
Smart Slider 3
Paid version available4.9 (1,123) 800,000+ active installsResponsive slider plugin to create sliders in visual editor easily. Build beautiful image slider, layer slider, video slider, post slider, and more.
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 800 times the installs, last updated 19 days ago.
- 10
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder
4.6 (234) 80,000+ active installsBuild Stunning Slider and Popup. Exit intent Popup, Image slider carousel, video slider carousel, post slider carousel, product slider, promote popup
Shares the slideshow tag on WordPress.org. About 80 times the installs, last updated 11 days ago.
Switching from Slideshow: common questions
What is the best alternative to Slideshow?
Slideshow Gallery is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 5,000+ active installs with a 4.6 out of 5 rating.
Which Slideshow alternative has the most users?
Smart Slider 3, with 800,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Slideshow alternative is rated highest?
Smart Slider 3, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 1,123 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Slideshow alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Slideshow score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Slideshow on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Slideshow Gallery is the closest match to Slideshow by the data we track, and Smart Slider 3 has the widest reach with 800,000+ active installs. NextGEN Gallery shipped the most recent release, on September 3, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.