Searching for the best WordPress gallery plugins to create stylish image galleries (or maybe even video galleries)?

Nimble Portfolio is a feature-rich, free portfolio plugin for WordPress users. The plugin lets you add posts, pages, custom post types (including WooCommerce products), images, and videos to a gallery. The galleries themselves looks clean and stylish with attention-grabbing circular thumbnails. Oct 12, 2020 NextGEN Gallery WordPress plugin The free version of NextGEN Gallery provides two main gallery styles (slideshows and thumbnail galleries) and two album styles (compact and extended), all of which come with a wide array of options for controlling size, style, timing, transitions, controls, lightbox effects, and more. Find the best free stock images about wordpress. Download all photos and use them even for commercial projects.

Galleries are useful for everyone from hobby bloggers to professional photographers, so you have plenty of great free options when it comes to WordPress gallery plugins.

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In this post, I’ve collected your top options, all of which have a free version (though almost all have premium versions as well, if you need some more features).

Some are just focused on making it super easy to create a stylish gallery, while others are more heavy-duty options with dedicated tools for photographers or other visual artists. No matter what you’re looking for, you should be able to find a great option.

Let’s get straight to the plugins…

1. Modula Gallery

If you’re a regular WordPress user looking for an easy way to create some great-looking galleries, Modula Gallery is definitely one of your best options. It’s focused on creating grid galleries, which look professional right out of the box.

One of the coolest things is that it includes an actual drag-and-drop grid builder that you can use to customize every part of your grid. Or, you can also just let the plugin automatically generate the grid for you if you prefer a more hands-off approach.

If you want more features, there’s also a Pro version that adds video support, gallery filters, deeplinking, sliders, and more.

Overall, if you want a flexible, but still simple, way to create stylish photo galleries, this one is a good place to start.

• Pros: Easy to use, galleries look great right away, has the unique custom drag-and-drop grid builder
• Cons: Need the Pro version for some features that other plugins give for free (e.g. video support, deeplinking, and some others)

Price: Starts free. Pro version from just $18

2. Meow Gallery

Meow Gallery is the simplest photo gallery plugin on this list, but I’m including it near the top because sometimes simple is all you really need.

The unique thing about Meow Gallery is that it doesn’t have its own interface. Instead, you’ll do everything through the native WordPress block editor (AKA Gutenberg), which makes for a really streamlined gallery creation process.

The plugin gives you a dedicated block to create your gallery and you’ll configure everything about your gallery’s layout and style using that block’s settings.

You’ll get a few different gallery layouts including:

• Tiles
• Masonry
• Justified (like Flickr)
• Square (like Instagram)

There’s also an Adobe Lightroom integration and, with the Pro version, you can show your gallery items on a map layout (which is great for travel bloggers who want to showcase trips).

• Pros: Super simple, lets you work from inside the block editor, Pro version has a unique map layout
• Cons: Not as flexible as some other gallery plugins

Price: Starts free. Paid version from just $19

3. NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery is a heavy-duty photo gallery plugin for photographers or other creative professionals.

If you’re just a casual user who wants to quickly create some nice-looking galleries, this is not the plugin for you. But if you’re, say, a photographer who needs to manage hundreds/thousands of images and maybe even sell them or work with clients, then NextGEN Gallery is one of the top options.

For example, some of the advanced features that NextGEN Gallery offers include:

• Dedicated gallery management area that’s separate from the WordPress Media Library and allows you to upload files via FTP
• Adobe Lightroom integration
• Client proofing feature
• Built-in eCommerce feature to sell digital or physical prints
• Automatic print fulfillment via an integration with White House Custom Colour (very unique feature)

Of course, NextGEN Gallery also includes lots of different gallery layouts to help you create stylish galleries. The free version is a little limited in what it gives you, but the Pro version comes with a wide variety of layouts to choose from.

• Pros: Tons of advanced features for photographers, eCommerce support, dedicated gallery management, lots of gallery layouts (with the Pro version)
• Cons: Too complicated for casual users, need the Pro version to create stylish galleries

Price: Starts free. Pro from $99.

4. Envira Gallery

Like NextGEN Gallery, Envira Gallery is another WordPress gallery plugin that makes an especially great option for photographers or other power users. However, it’s also a lot simpler than NextGEN Gallery, so this one can be a good option for casual users, too.

A bit of background – the owner of Envira Gallery actually purchased NextGEN Gallery in 2020, so the two are now owned by the same person (though still run as separate plugins, at least as of when I’m writing this post).

In the free version, Envira Gallery already gives you a pretty simple way to create some stylish galleries, including mosaic galleries. But if you’re willing to go Pro, you’ll also get access to lots of advanced features such as:

• eCommerce support via a WooCommerce integration
• Client proofing
• Video support
• Dynamic galleries (e.g. create a gallery of blog posts or WooCommerce products)
• Social media integrations

• Pros: Does a good job of blending ease of use with advanced features, lots of flexibility options with the Pro version
• Cons: None stick out, but you can find some other options that have better free features in some areas

Price: Starts free. Pro from just $19.

5. FooGallery

FooGallery is another popular free gallery plugin that’s pretty generous with its free features. Even without cracking open your wallet, you’ll still get six different gallery layouts, album support, hover effects, and more.

It doesn’t come with a built-in lightbox feature by default, but you can easily integrate it with the free FooBox plugin from the same developer to add lightbox to your galleries.

There’s also an affordable Pro version that adds lots of other advanced features such as gallery filters, more layouts, deeplinking, and dynamic galleries from Adobe Lightroom, Instagram, and other sources.

• Pros: Solid free feature list (including albums), integrates with the block editor, lots of customization options
• Cons: Need a separate plugin to add lightbox support, Pro version is a little more expensive than some alternatives

Price: Starts free. Pro version from $59.

6. Photo Gallery by 10Web

Photo Gallery by 10Web is another popular option that sits kind of in between the simpler gallery plugins and the advanced options like NextGEN Gallery. For example, it still offers dedicated image management that’s separate from the WordPress Media Library but, at least in my opinion, it doesn’t feel quite as complicated.

It also has a solid free feature list, with useful features such as audio and video support, albums, image watermarking, and more. However, you’ll need the Pro version to unlock the more interesting layouts, such as mosaic or masonry galleries.

The Pro version also adds other more advanced features such as social sharing buttons, an Instagram integration, eCommerce support, and more.

You can learn how this plugin works in our detailed Photo Gallery by 10Web tutorial.

• Pros: Has advanced features while still being pretty simple, supports audio and video (as well as images), has some generous free features
• Cons: You need the Pro version to unlock the stylish gallery layouts

Price: Starts free. Pro version from $30.

7. Responsive Lightbox & Gallery

Responsive Lightbox & Gallery doesn’t have an especially creative name, but it is one of the most popular free gallery plugins at WordPress.org. It gives you three different gallery templates (grid, slider, and masonry) along with eight different lightbox scripts to choose from.

You can use drag-and-drop to easily change the arrangement of images in your gallery and you can embed galleries via a shortcode or dedicated block. Beyond images, you can also include other content, such as posts or videos.

If you want more features, there are also premium extensions that add more layouts, such as justified or expanded galleries, along with even more lightbox options.

• Pros: Gives you a lot of choice in terms of layouts/lightbox, easy-to-use interface
• Cons: Doesn’t have some advanced features, such as gallery filters or albums

Price: Starts free. Get all add-ons for $49

8. CoBlocks

CoBlocks is a suite of new blocks that you can use in the WordPress block editor (AKA Gutenberg). It’s not limited to galleries, but I’m singling it out because Rich Tabor, a developer who makes cool products, merged his Block Gallery plugin into the CoBlocks plugin.

You don’t really need to know the behind-the-scenes machinations – but all you do need to know is that CoBlocks includes multiple gallery blocks and the finished galleries look really great.

In total, you’ll get five different gallery blocks:

• Carousel gallery
• Collage gallery
• Masonry gallery
• Offset gallery
• Stacked gallery

Like Meow Gallery, you’ll be able to configure everything about your galleries without leaving the WordPress block editor.

Overall, this is another really great option if you want to quickly create lightweight galleries that look great from inside the block editor. The only downside is that it comes with more than just gallery blocks (but the other blocks are useful, so maybe you’ll like them!).

• Pros: Integrated into the block editor, has five different gallery blocks, the galleries look great
• Cons: Includes more than just gallery blocks, not as flexible as a standalone gallery plugin

Wordpress Free Image Gallery Download

Price: 100% free

Which Is the Best WordPress Gallery Plugin?

As is always the case, there’s no one best gallery plugin that’s right for every single person – it depends on your needs and budget.

However, here are some recommendations…

If you’re a “regular” WordPress user who wants an easy, but flexible, way to create some great-looking galleries, I recommend starting off with Modula (free version) as the galleries look great right out-of-the-box but it still includes advanced features if you need them. One especially cool feature is the option to design your own custom grid layout. If you want to learn more, check out our Modula review.

Or, if you’re using the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg), consider using a block-specific solution such as Meow Gallery or CoBlocks.

On the other hand, if you’re a photographer or any other type of heavy-duty user, then I would say you should start your search with NextGEN Gallery because it’s the most flexible and has those advanced features like eCommerce and client proofing (with the Pro version).

Or, Envira Gallery is another good option here that feels a little simpler, while still giving you access to premium advanced features if you need them.

Do you still have any questions about choosing the best WordPress photo gallery plugin for your needs? Ask in the comments!

Given the wide range of plugins in the official WordPress Repository, it is safe to say that there are multiple plugins for every imaginable aspect of the platform. The downside of all this is that even experienced users find it difficult to recommend a plugin.

Galleries are an important way of managing and presenting multiple images or videos on a WordPress website. However, the concept of galleries has become so advanced that no single plugin could claim to offer all the features and functionalities associated with the implementation of galleries in WordPress. Nor this is something recommended.

The Top Ten Free Image and Video Gallery Plugins - in a Nutshell

Now, let’s take them one by one, shall we?

Photo Gallery by Supsystic

Photo Gallery is a great plugin by Supsystic that allows you to create multiple images and video galleries and portfolios. The plugin offers several styles and design options for generating grids and displaying galleries. The best feature of the plugin is the easy-to-use visual editor that offers a surprising range of features.

• Adds images from social media networks and FTP to the gallery.
• Adds links, HTML captions, and icons.
• Carousel Gallery.
• Compatible with all major WordPress themes.
• Highly customizable image gallery styles, including full-width
• Categories and Paginations.
• Layout options include mobile, horizontal, fixed, and vertical photo galleries.
• Gallery design optimized for all screens.
• Polaroid Gallery.
• Video gallery and post feed photo gallery.

NextGEN Gallery

NextGEN Gallery is easily one of the top WordPress gallery plugins of all time. The plugin allows users to add images from the media library, local folders, or a server folder to any gallery. A well-known feature of the NextGEN Gallery plugin is the option to create albums, which are basically groups of galleries.

• Adds a button for adding galleries in the visual editor.
• Several display options in the visual editor such as thumbnails, image browser, slider, and tag cloud.
• Two display options for albums: Basic Extended and Basic Compact.
• Intuitive interface.
• Visitors have the option to view the gallery in either thumbnails or slideshow view.

Envira Gallery

Envira Gallery is a great plugin that offers outstanding results. The plugin is fully responsive and ensures that image and video galleries load quickly. After the plugin has been installed, Envira Gallery is added to the WordPress Dashboard. The procedure for adding a gallery is quite easy; just give the gallery a name and then upload the images to it.

• Several customization options and settings including thumbnail sizes, columns, gutter and margin sizing, layouts, and animations.
• Users can insert galleries into any page, widget, or post.
• Adds a button to the visual editor that enables the quick addition of galleries.
• The Video Addon for Envira Gallery allows you to display Youtube, Vimeo, Wistia or self-hosted videos in an Envira Gallery’s Lightbox.

Portfolio Gallery

This plugin by Huge IT adds professional, elegant galleries and lightboxes to pages and posts on the website. Portfolio Gallery is very easy to set up, and loads images quickly. The plugin has a responsive design that ensures precise rendering of images on all screen sizes. The beauty of this plugin comes from the way it was built, coming up as four plugins in one: Huge-IT’s Slider, Video Gallery, and Image Gallery, as well as Lightbox. Portfolio Gallery brings them all to life.

Wordpress Image Gallery

• Professional-looking galleries.
• Easily add and edit images, captions, links, and decryption in a gallery.
• Add galleries via a button in the visual editor or short code.
• A wide range of gallery view options including thumbnails, masonry, pop-up content, lightbox, and slider views.

Gmedia Gallery

The best-known feature of the Gmedia Gallery plugin is the ability to share images quickly. When you click on an image in a gallery, a full-size image popups in a lightbox; this where you can also share your gallery on several social networks. Even though it is completely free, the number of options at your disposal will surprise (and confuse) you.

• Adds a versatile Gmedia button to the visual editor.
• Comes with a music and video player.
• A wide range of gallery view options called Modules; by default, seven different modules are available including slideshows, 3D sphere, mosaic look, sliders, 3D cube, and photo blog.
• Easy selection of images. However, the images need to be either assigned to a category, album, tags or placed in the GP Media Library.

Wordpress Free Photo Gallery Plugin

Photo Gallery

The plugin uses the standard thumbnail view to display the images in a gallery. When you hover the cursor over an image, the plugin magnifies it slightly for a better view. Adding images using this plugin is quite easy; all you have to do is click on the Photo Gallery option on the WordPress Dashboard. The process of adding a new gallery is similar to adding a post.

• Embed photos from Flickr and Instagram.
• Import images from the Media Library.
• Customize the gallery with options including watermarks and designating text for images.
• The free version only supports thumbnail, slider, album, and image browser display options.
• The option to combine galleries into different albums.
• Support for YouTube and Vimeo videos within Galleries.

Foo Gallery

This plugin is quite straightforward and allows several gallery view formats. Like several other WordPress gallery plugins, Foo Gallery adds a custom button to the WP Dashboard. To create a gallery, simply choose the Add Gallery option, and use the Add Media option for adding images. Galleries can also be created from the visual editor. To use the plugin properly, a Lightbox plugin might also be required – the plugin was built with developers in mind because it comes with the tools a developer needs to build a custom image gallery.

• Several gallery templates including the standard thumbnail display, responsive gallery template, and masonry layout.
• A variety of options for customizing gallery templates such as specifying a thumbnail size, linking images, and others.
• Add a gallery to a page or post through the Add FooGallery button or through a short code.
• You can create mixed photo and video galleries but you need to get the pro version of the plugin.

Photospace Gallery

This plugin is designed to extend the default WordPress gallery settings. The selected image from the gallery is shown in the preview area on the right, while the rest of the images are displayed in thumbnail form on the left side. To use the features of the plugin, use the menu item for Photospace Gallery.

• Extends the default functionality of the WordPress gallery for a better view and easy management.
• Edit or add captions, titles, and descriptions of images.
• Change the size of the preview image as well as the thumbnail size per your liking.
• Control settings include links to next/previous images, options to play a slideshow, and a download link below every image in the gallery.
• You get keyboard control and pagination.

WP Photo Album Plus

This gallery plugin is specially designed for interactive websites where visitors can comment on and/or rate photos. While this feature could be turned off, this is usually the main objective of installing the plugin.

• Allows visitors to rate and comment on a photo.
• More customization options than typical WordPress gallery plugins.
• Widgets for photo ratings, Photo of the Day, top ten photos, most recently uploaded photos, featured photos, albums, and more.
• Settings displayed as a list of tables, allowing you to change several settings without leaving the screen.
• Easily set tags, alt texts, descriptions, and copy or move photos to another album.

WP Canvas – Gallery

The last plugin of the list is the WP Canvas – Gallery. Similar to Photospace Gallery, this plugin extends the default functionality of WordPress galleries. Instead of additional menu items, the options pop up on the right.

• Define the size of images and the number of columns of thumbnails.
• Default gallery settings offer several display options, caption, and size options.
• Specify popup size when an image is clicked.
• Switch between several gallery display options including a slider, carousel, and masonry.

In Conclusion

Whether if you’re a new WordPress user which found out what the Add Media button does or an experienced developer which knows how to code before MM even had WordPress in mind, there’s a solution serving media files for everyone. We saw plugins which are perfectly displaying images in grids, while others handling YouTube or Vimeo WordPress video galleries like pros – you have options. I only scratched the surface when it comes to presenting the features of all these plugins. It’s your turn now to dig into these image gallery plugins and pick the right one for your project.