10 Best WordPress Gallery Plugins to Try in 2024

Every website uses images, and WordPress gallery plugins make it easy to show those images in an attractive way.

However, with so many options available, it can be difficult to go through them all and discover the plugin that provides the ideal balance of functionality, aesthetics, and usability.

To help you find that plugin, we have compiled a list of the best WordPress image gallery plugins with their feature lists. We’ll also look at screenshots of all these plugins so that you know what types of galleries each can create.

Let’s dive deeper and find the perfect photo gallery plugin for your WordPress site.

How to Choose the Best WordPress Gallery Plugins?

There are a huge number of WordPress gallery plugins to choose from. From the WordPress.org plugin directory to CodeCanyon, or even when you make a Google search, you will get a long list of plugins without much guidance.

As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the best features to look for while considering these WordPress image gallery plugins.

• Offers multiple layout options (e.g., grids, masonry, carousels) to display your images.
• Lightbox effect to view larger versions of images without leaving the page.
• Watermarking to protect your images if you’re selling photos or using them commercially.
• Drag-and-drop builders for quickly creating an image or video gallery without the need for complex code or settings.
• Mobile-friendly galleries so that users can view your photos from tablets and phones.
• Option for image sharing through social media.
• It provides support for video and images, as well as links to YouTube and Vimeo videos.
• Animations and other effects to grab user attention.
• Image compression using a tool like ShortPixel, which integrates with many photo gallery plugins.
• Image optimization using lazy loading to increase website speed and rank higher in SERPs.
• Gallery templates to eliminate the need to start a gallery from scratch.
• Customization tools so that you can match your branding, fonts, colors, and other elements.

The list may go on, but this is an excellent starting point to choose what’s most essential to your business when looking for a WP gallery plugin.

As a result, keep all of these key features in mind as you go through our in-depth gallery plugin reviews below.

The 10 Best WordPress Gallery Plugins

1. Envira Gallery

Envira Gallery is the #1 WordPress gallery plugin. Its flexibility, configurable features, templates, and ease of use set it apart from hundreds of competitors.

This freemium plugin is designed for both new and expert WordPress site owners. For beginners, the interface is built around a drag-and-drop system that allows them to add images and change dimensions without touching code. Envira Gallery also contains various free mobile-friendly templates, with even more available in pro plans, so you won’t have to start from scratch each time.

With a premium plan, you can access unlimited galleries, Dropbox imports, WooCommerce integration, video galleries, social sharing, watermarks, etc. Most of the plugin’s advanced functionality comes from addons: The more you pay, the more addons you’re allowed.

Overall, Envira Gallery hits the right balance between simple and advanced gallery plugins. However, it is not the cheapest option. Thus, it is best suited to larger enterprises or sites that invest in image galleries.

Gallery Created by Envira Gallery:

Key Features:

• Drag and drop builder to create an image gallery in minutes.
• Pre-built templates to customize the appearance of your gallery.
• Create independent galleries that are not tied to your posts or pages.
• Automatically import images from places like Instagram and Pinterest.
• 100% responsive and mobile-friendly by default.
• Assign tags and categories to your galleries for better organization.
• Add a beautiful slideshow with autoplay, manual controls, and more.
• Protect your images from theft with watermarking.
• A deep-linking feature to make your gallery SEO friendly.
• WooCommerce integration to display and sell images
• Password protection to prevent unauthorized access to your WordPress galleries.
• Easily create, edit, and sync your image and video galleries directly inside the Elementor or Beaver Builder.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $39.50/year.

Get Envira Gallery

2. NextGEN Gallery

Based on the number of active installations on WordPress.org, NextGEN Gallery is one of the most popular gallery plugins for WordPress.

It’s easy to use for basic photo galleries yet strong enough for the most demanding photographers, graphic artists, and image experts who want a complete gallery solution.

It offers several gallery options for showing photos, including tiled, filmstrip, mosaics, masonry, slide scroll, etc. Most of these come with a premium version — the free version gives you three styles (slideshow, thumbnail, and image browser galleries) and two album styles (compact and extended), which are still enough to work with for basic galleries. The plugin also allows you to adjust gallery settings such as animations, image sizes, style, timing, transitions, etc. This tight control is great for individuals who want to show their images exactly how they want.

Similar to Envira, NextGEN offers all the basics, including lightbox displays, watermarking, metadata, and SEO optimization.

Where NextGEN really shines is monetizing your images. It comes with eCommerce extensions and payment gateway integrations.

Additionally, NextGEN Pro has a print fulfillment extension. With this extension, you can take orders and ship prints directly to customers with industry-leading professional print labs.

Gallery Created by NextGEN Gallery:

Key Features:

• Organize multiple galleries into albums for easy sorting and viewing.
• Tags option to group multiple images together.
• Access to 84+ different types of themes to showcase your galleries.
• Protect your work with image and text-based watermarks.
• Sell images directly through galleries with full eCommerce capabilities.
• Choose from 20+ gorgeous gallery styles.
• Automatic image backups and recovery.
• Watermark images with text or images.
• Lightroom plugin for creating and syncing photo galleries.
• Supports deep linking for better indexing and direct linking to individual images.
• Integration with social media for easy sharing of images and galleries.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $69.50/year or $349.50 for a lifetime.

Get NextGEN Gallery

3. Modula

Modula is a handy image gallery plugin for WordPress. It’s super easy to use, with a simple interface and drag-and-drop grid builder. This makes it an excellent option for beginners who want to build visually appealing image galleries without the need for broad settings.

While Modula has pre-built automated gallery layouts, you can still easily customize them for a more optimized look. You can choose from different gallery styles like lightbox galleries, masonry grids, and custom grids. And guess what? You can even move your old galleries from other WP gallery plugins to Modula Gallery without any trouble.

Furthermore, this gallery plugin works with almost all WordPress page builders, i.e., Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, etc. You can also add your own CSS files to make the image gallery more customized.

Gallery Created by Modula:

Key Features:

• Drag and drop builder to customize galleries.
• Video extension to combine videos with images in your galleries.
• Allows users to filter gallery content based on tags or categories.
• Use shortcodes to insert your galleries anywhere on your website.
• Integrated social media sharing buttons for each image.
• Supports SEO best practices like alt tags for images.
• Ability to add custom CSS for further customization.
• Protect your photos by adding a custom watermark and disabling right-click.
• SpeedUP CDN for blazing-fast images.
• Supports the display of animated GIFs.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $39/year or $135 lifetime for a single site.

Get Modula

4. FooGallery

FooGallery is one of the best free gallery plugins for creating beautiful image and video galleries on your website.

For no cost, FooGallery gives you access to seven responsive image gallery templates, including masonry grid and thumbnail galleries, as well as lightboxes (after installing an additional free plugin from FooPlugins).

The free version also allows for full customization of galleries. You can adjust borders, thumbnail size, hover effects, loading icons, animated loaded effects, etc. You can even sort your galleries into albums to track your assets better. FooGallery also offers a drag-and-drop interface for organizing photos, and you can embed your gallery using a Gutenberg block or shortcode. When combined with custom CSS, FooGallery is a powerful tool, even for free.

FooGallery Pro is also affordable and offers features like additional templates, support for video galleries, image filters, lazy loading, more hover and loading effects, etc. Another premium feature is infinite scrolling, which allows you to add more images onto a single page while avoiding pagination and needless clicks from users.

Gallery Created by FooGallery:

Key Features:

• Offer seven free image gallery templates (three in the pro version).
• Comes with a built-in lightbox feature.
• Allows integration of videos from platforms like YouTube and Vimeo within galleries.
• Supports metadata and alt texts to help improve search engine visibility.
• WooCommerce integration to sell photographs directly through galleries.
• Integrate galleries with the new WordPress editor via a dedicated block.
• Add custom ribbons to your images to attract attention.
• Import/Export functionality to easily transfer galleries between different WordPress installations.
• Supports lazy loading.
• Support white labeling.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $33.99/year or $99.99 lifetime for a single site.

Get FooGallery

5. Photo Gallery by 10Web

Photo Gallery by 10Web is another quality WordPress gallery plugin available in both its free and paid versions. 10Web has made this plugin accessible by balancing flexibility and ease of use.

The free version includes simple grid gallery formats, a file manager, and settings for using watermarks, creating thumbnails, and linking to social networking sites. You can also create slideshows and lightboxes.

The pro versions allows you to build more galleries and add features such as different gallery layouts, rating and commenting, social sharing, audio and video functionality, etc. The most of these premium featuress are available as addons. Purchase only what you need to keep the plugin lightweight and avoid slowing down your website.

Whatever version you choose, Photo Gallery by 10Web is easy to set up and use. It’s great for anyone looking for a robust premium tool that’s relatively cheaper.

Gallery Created by Photo Gallery by 10Web:

Key Features:

• Offers a number of view options to organize your galleries and albums.
• Cross-device responsiveness with 15 lightbox effects.
• Built-in social media sharing functionality for images.
• Alt text and metadata fields for image SEO.
• Offers pre-designed themes with customization options for individual gallery styles.
• Image watermarking and right-click protection.
• Support both image and video files.
• Import/Export functionality to move photos and galleries to another site.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $30 for a single website.

Get Photo Gallery by 10Web

6. Portfolio Gallery

The Portfolio Gallery – Image Gallery plugin is a simple but effective solution for creating stunning and flexible portfolios on WordPress websites. It is the first portfolio plugin in WordPress to provide a separate category page. The plugin is totally responsive and works with all platforms, including MacBooks, desktop PCs, tablets, and mobile.

The Portfolio Gallery plugin is great for presenting your work or products in an organized and appealing manner. Its extensive features allow you to modify your gallery to your website’s look and requirements. It also improves user experience with its simple navigation and filter options.

Gallery Created by Portfolio Gallery:

Key Features:

• Support filters to turn your photo galleries into filterable portfolios.
• Offer options for showing text, captions, filters, and numbers on your images.
• Allows you to change anything from the colors to the roundness of your gallery photos.
• Options for adding multiple galleries to posts, pages, and widgets.
• Show the gallery with and without spacing.
• Make a beautiful photo gallery with a Grayscale effect.
• Create unlimited portfolio galleries with unlimited images.
• Link portfolio by providing a link to separate images.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version costs $39 for a lifetime.

Get Portfolio Gallery

7. Responsive Lightbox & Gallery

If you want to build engaging, stunning, responsive galleries for your WordPress website, check out the Responsive Lightbox & Gallery plugin.

This tool uses a powerful drag-and-drop gallery builder with lightbox functionality to help you create beautiful galleries.

The core plugin is free and allows you to do a lot with its three templates and settings. From there, you can further customize your installation with premium extensions. This means you can pay for and install only what you need without wasting disk space or money on other features. These extensions provide access to various gallery views, stylish lightboxes, and remote galleries (which use photos from other websites).

Gallery Created by Responsive Lightbox & Gallery:

Key Features:

• Create and customize your galleries with a built-in drag-and-drop gallery builder.
• Create galleries from the Media Library or Post attached images.
• Access to millions of images through Remote Library.
• It is compatible with popular page builders and the Gutenberg editor.
• Support for Iframe, Ajax, HTML5, and Inline Lightbox content.
• Automatically add Lightbox to WordPress image galleries, image links, video links, etc.
• Option to display single post images as a gallery.
• Support for WooCommerce product gallery.
• Multisite support.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The premium extensions cost $29 or $69 for the bundle.

Get Responsive Lightbox & Gallery

8. Meow Gallery

Like most other options, Meow is a freemium WordPress picture gallery plugin.

Meow Gallery, with its lightning-fast speed, offers a streamlined gallery creation process. After you’ve uploaded your images, edit them with filters and effects. The retina display helps you to make your galleries appear sharper.

Meow also includes a Gutenberg-compatible editor. It eliminates the need for coding to customize your gallery.

If you use Meow’s free version, you can expect to see five gallery options, including tiles, masonry, and cascade. In addition, you may use Lightroom features and add audio to your images.

The Pro edition has some amazing extra features. Lazy loading, for example, offers an even faster page load time. Then there is a unique map layout for better photo display.

Thankfully, Meow works with many WordPress plugins. However, it has fewer features than other picture gallery plugins.

Created by Meow Gallery:

Key Features:

• Offer various photo filters to add exciting effects to your galleries’ pictures.
• It’s a light, fast, responsive, and retina-enabled plugin that works on all mobile devices.
• Allows you to link your gallery items to external and internal links.
• It supports a lazy load tool and infinite loading.
• Uses WordPress and Gutenberg naturally without hacking it.
• Map layout feature to sharing photos of a trip.
• Add music and other types of audio to your images.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $29/year or $99 lifetime for a single site license.

Get Meow Gallery

9. Jetpack

If you don’t know, Jetpack is a popular multi-purpose plugin from Automattic that offers several WordPress.com features for self-hosted WordPress installs.

One of those features improves the default WordPress gallery functionality. While Jetpack’s galleries are not as powerful as the above-mentioned WordPress photo gallery plugins, they are a good option for creating a basic type of gallery, especially if you already use Jetpack on your site.

Furthermore, Jetpack galleries are completely free to use, with no additional cost to worry about. Sure, Jetpack offers various other addons and functionality that you pay for, but all gallery functionality is available for free.

Gallery Created by Jetpack:

Key Features:

• Showcase image galleries in three new styles: a rectangular mosaic, a square mosaic, and a circular grid.
• Display a photo gallery or slideshow in your blog’s sidebar.
• Convert regular image galleries into a carousel that provides a stunning full-screen photo viewing experience.
• Serves images from Jetpack’s global content delivery network (CDN) for faster load times.
• Supports captions and descriptions for individual images.
• Fully compatible with WordPress’s block editor for seamless gallery creation.

Pricing:

Jetpack’s image gallery is free for all WordPress sites that use Jetpack.

Get Jetpack

10. Photo Gallery by Supsystic

Photo Gallery by Supsystic, like most of the WordPress gallery plugins on our list, is a freemium plugin that offers a free version with additional features hidden behind the pro version.

This plugin provides eight different customizable gallery layouts, including a carousel and post feed (for showing content other than images). Alternatively, you can create a Polaroid-style presentation with captions that give a nostalgic feeling.

Upgrading to the pro version unlocks video galleries, tags, albums, CDN to deliver images to customers’ devices faster, and other features.

Despite everything this plugin has to offer, its galleries are mobile-friendly and easy to set up. To prevent unauthorized uses of your images, you can also turn on watermarks in the free version.

Gallery Created by Photo Gallery by Supsystic:

Key Features:

• Allows you to import images from social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Easily add images to your gallery via FTP.
• Fully customizable gallery styles (shadow, border, caption, and icons).
• Set the title and description of the gallery media to make your gallery SEO friendly.
• Protect your photos against theft and make them unique using Watermark.
• Support load more button, pagination, and lazy loading for a fast-loading site.
• Images compression and built-in optimization to speed up your website.
• Easily translate the plugin into dozens of other languages.

Pricing:

A free version is available on WordPress.org. The pro version starts at $49/year or $89 lifetime for a single site license.

Get Photo Gallery by Supsystic

Conclusion: Which Is the Best Gallery Plugin for WordPress?

As with other WordPress plugins, there is no one-size-fits-all advice for WordPress photo gallery plugins. If you want to build beautiful galleries easily, Modula arguably has the most user-friendly interface, with NextGEN and Envira Gallery close behind.

If you’re a photographer who wants to show albums and maybe sell your images, NextGEN Gallery or Envira Gallery are better options. On the other hand, if you’re more concerned with selecting a theme that meets your requirements, you’ll need to put in the effort to go through all of the WordPress gallery plugin demos.

We also recommend that you go over our list above and mark the ones with Gutenberg integrations. It’s outstanding how much faster a Gutenberg block makes gallery creation. Other plugins will include this functionality in the future. However, for now, we recommend looking into gallery plugins for WordPress that currently have it.

Overall, most of these WordPress plugins for galleries are free, so you can try them out and see how you like the templates and interface.

For more, check out these other helpful resources:

• 17 Best WordPress AI Plugins: A Game-Changer for Your Site
• 10 Best Image Optimization Plugins for WordPress
• How to Optimize Images For WordPress [Complete Guide]

Lastly, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest WordPress and blogging-related articles.