10 Best WordPress Photo Gallery Plugins to Create a Beautiful Photo Gallery

WordPress photo gallery plugins streamline the presentation of diverse visuals on websites. 

Crafting a site with robust domain authority involves more than just a standard domain and hosting setup. Still, maneuvering through different image display options shouldn’t be a brain teaser.

Yet, pursuing the ultimate WordPress gallery plugin proved to be quite challenging. Sorting through a staggering 50,000 plugins put my decision-making stamina to the test.

After extensive exploration, video reviews, and hands-on trials, I’ve pinpointed noteworthy choices. 

Here are the top-tier WordPress photo gallery plugins worth your consideration.

WordPress gallery plugin must-have features 

These are the primary features to look for in a WordPress photo gallery plugin: 

• Gallery layout options: The best WordPress gallery plugins have a broad range of prebuilt gallery layout options and templates to build them. Gallery layout options allow you to add a dash of versatility to your site by showcasing images in different formats.
• Mobile responsiveness: Pick a mobile-responsive WordPress gallery plugin that makes your visuals seamlessly accessible across different screen sizes. A mobile-responsible WordPress gallery results in faster page loading, which improves the overall user experience. 
• Data protection features: The last thing you want is unauthorized users copying or downloading your images to use or share them without crediting you. WordPress gallery plugins with watermarking and right-click protection prevent such situations. 
• Image customization and optimization: The right WordPress gallery plugin has image customization options like filters, animations, text, and image sizing. For image optimization, it can offer tools like bult-in image optimization, CDN, and lazy loading to boost load times. 
• Lightboxes: Opt for WordPress photo gallery plugins with lightboxes. When a visitor clicks on an image or a video, a lightbox displays it in a centered overlay, dimming the rest of the page to highlight it. 
• Integration with third-party plugins: Go for WordPress photo gallery plugins compatible with other software for added functionality. 

These integrations can be used for essentials like media uploads, eCommerce, and other WordPress tools. 

Top 10 WordPress photo gallery plugins to try in 2026

WordPress gallery plugins allow you to impress visitors with a captivating display of your work or product images. Here are the best WordPress photo gallery plugins to add to your arsenal.   

NextGEN Gallery – Best for creatives and large image collections

NextGEN Gallery has been a trusted name in WordPress photo galleries since 2007. With over 400,000 active installs, it’s built for photographers and creatives who need serious gallery management rather than just a simple image grid.

You can batch upload, organize, and manage thousands of images with ease, even import folders or ZIP files directly. The plugin includes multiple gallery and album types (slideshow, thumbnail, imagebrowser, compact, extended), all customizable with transitions, captions, and lightbox effects.

It integrates smoothly with the Gutenberg editor, making gallery creation feel intuitive. The Pro version takes it further with eCommerce for prints and downloads, client proofing, Lightroom syncing, and automated print fulfillment.

Key features

• Multiple gallery and album layouts
• Batch upload and folder import
• Built-in eCommerce for photo sales
• Client proofing and print fulfillment
• Lightroom integration
• Social sharing and watermarking
• Image commenting and right-click protection
• Gutenberg and shortcode support

FooGallery – Best WordPress gallery plugin for bloggers 

FooGallery is a top WordPress gallery plugin due to its feature-packed free version. 

The free version offers seven attractive templates, including masonry, thumbnail, carousel, and image viewer galleries. 

You’ll also find basic image editing tools, which are handy in customizing your galleries. 

Then, the image tagging feature allows you to organize your images, making them easier to retrieve. 

Similar to NextGEN, FooGallery comes with a drag-and-drop interface.

Moreover, the gallery layouts are optimized for fast page load times, delivering seamless browsing experiences. 

If you’re looking to improve your website’s SEO, you should be happy to know that FooGallery is compatible with many SEO plugins. Search engines can crawl every image you display through this WordPress photo gallery plugin. 

Users opting for FooGallery Pro enjoy additional features, including video support, gallery filtering, and white labeling. 

Key features 

• Integration with SEO plugins 
• Basic image editing tools 
• Drag-and-drop feature 
• Eye-catching galleries 
• Image tagging 

Modula – Best WordPress gallery plugin for non-tech-savvy users

Modula is a sleek, modern gallery plugin that gives you full creative control over how your images and videos appear on your WordPress site. With its intuitive drag-and-drop grid builder, you can design fully custom layouts – resize, rearrange, and fine-tune every image without touching code.

It’s built for flexibility: you can create masonry, custom grid, or creative gallery layouts that automatically adapt to any screen size. Modula also supports video galleries (YouTube, Vimeo, or self-hosted) and includes a clean lightbox viewer for a distraction-free viewing experience.

A standout feature is Modula SpeedUP, which uses ShortPixel’s image optimization technology to compress and resize images automatically, then deliver them through a fast CDN. This means your galleries load quickly and look sharp everywhere, no manual optimization needed.

The plugin also includes AI tools that generate optimized titles, captions, and ALT text, helping boost your SEO and accessibility with minimal effort.

Key features

• Drag-and-drop custom grid builder
• Masonry, custom grid, and creative layouts
• Fully responsive and mobile-friendly
• Built-in lightbox and slideshow support
• Video gallery support (YouTube, Vimeo, self-hosted)
• AI-powered optimization for titles and captions
• SpeedUP with ShortPixel integration for image compression + CDN
• Hover effects, filters, and albums (Pro)
• Image proofing, watermarking, and download protection
• Works with Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi

Envira Gallery – Best feature-rich WordPress photo gallery plugin

Envira Gallery is one of the most popular photo gallery plugins for WordPress, and for good reason. It’s fast, simple to use, and packed with the kind of professional features that photographers, designers, and agencies need.

Built around a drag-and-drop builder, Envira lets you create image and video galleries in minutes without touching code. You can easily reorder images, adjust layouts, and embed galleries anywhere using blocks or page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi.

The plugin is fully responsive and optimized for performance, so your galleries load quickly and look sharp on all devices. It’s also SEO-friendly, with support for metadata, deeplinks, and pagination to help your images get found online.

You can organize content into albums, protect images with watermarks, and even sell them directly using WooCommerce integration. It also supports social sharing, client proofing, and video galleries from YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia.

Key features

• Drag-and-drop photo gallery builder
• Responsive and mobile-ready layouts
• Albums and gallery templates
• Social sharing and image proofing
• Video gallery support (YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia)
• Watermarking and password protection
• WooCommerce integration for selling photos
• Adobe Lightroom and Dropbox import
• Pagination, deeplinking, and SEO optimization
• Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder compatibility

Rbs Gallery – Best for fast, modern, and customizable layouts

Rbs Image Gallery is a fast and customizable WordPress plugin that helps you create beautiful image and video galleries with ease. Its focus on speed, responsive design, and visual flexibility makes it an excellent choice for photographers, designers, and businesses alike.

The plugin’s Fusion Grid layout offers multiple styles like masonry, justified, mosaic, and polaroid, letting you build galleries that match your website’s personality. Each layout is responsive, ensuring your visuals look sharp on every device, even on Retina and Ultra HD screens.

Beyond great looks, Rbs Image Gallery brings practical features like smart pagination (Load More, classic pages, or infinite scroll), a polished lightbox with fullscreen and slideshow options, and hover-based social sharing across 20+ platforms. You can also mix photos, videos, and albums seamlessly, or import from platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook.

The plugin is optimized for performance and SEO, with built-in caching and lazy loading to keep things running smoothly. For those managing large libraries, the bulk uploader and server import tools are handy time-savers.

Key features

• Fusion Grid layouts: masonry, justified, mosaic, polaroid
• Responsive and mobile-optimized design
• Lightbox with fullscreen and slideshow modes
• Social sharing for 20+ platforms
• Video gallery support (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitch)
• Bulk image upload and import tools
• SEO optimization and caching features
• Gutenberg and Elementor compatibility

GT3 Image Gallery – Best NextGEN gallery alternative 

For a professional photographer, nothing beats gorgeous galleries showcasing your work. You can bank on GT3 Image Gallery to help you create them, even with little coding experience.  

You’ll have many gallery options, including packery, flow, and masonry. 

This plugin is Gutenberg-compatible. Therefore, after installation, you’ll get a Gutenberg block to add the images you want to a page or post. 

The settings and uploading modules are packed in the Gutenberg editor to enhance usability. 

For convenience, extend the editor’s functionality on your website. 

It allows you to access the Gutenberg settings in the WordPress editor and work from one window. 

The plugin’s free features are still pretty useful. 

You can unlock more features with a premium version, including watermarks and video support. A custom lazy loading feature helps you reduce your gallery load times. 

However, the Pro plan’s price tag reads $39 per year. Some alternatives offer the same features at a lower price.

Key Features 

• Beginner friendly 
• Video support
• Custom lazy loading features 
• Capacity to create many galleries 
• Security features 

Essential Grid Gallery – Best for creating unconventional galleries 

Looking to get a little creative? 

Essential Grid Gallery provides a whole canvas to create unique and versatile grid layouts. You’ll have over 60 templates to try out. 

One of its major draws is the Skins tab, which lets you decide your grid’s final look. You can customize aspects like metadata, overlay effects, animations, and size.  

This makes this plugin ideal for creating a unique portfolio or blog feed. For eCommerce companies, it can help present their products in the best light. 

Keep in mind that Essential Grid is not just about photos and videos. 

It has a host of other useful features. These include social media integration for sharing your images on social and lightboxes to shine a spotlight on them. 

This plugin is also compatible with other WordPress photo gallery tools and themes. 

There’s one issue, though. It lacks a free version. 

Key features 

• Customizable grid layouts 
• Social media integration 
• Lightboxes
• Compatibility with WordPress themes 
• Reliable support  

Meow Gallery – Fastest WordPress photo gallery plugin

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

Meow Gallery promises a streamlined gallery creation process, owing to its lightning-fast speed. After uploading your images, customize them by adding filters and effects. 

The retina display allows you to make your galleries look crispier. 

Meow also features a Gutenberg editor. With it, you don’t need code for gallery customization.

So, if you’re using Meow’s free version, expect five gallery types, including tiles, masonry, and cascade.  You can also add audio to your images and use Lightroom tools. 

The PRO version offers some awesome additional features. Lazy loading, for instance, guarantees an even faster page loading time. Then, there’s a unique map layout for better photo presentation. 

Thankfully, Meow is compatible with many WordPress plugins. 

But I noticed it’s less feature-rich than Envira and several other plugins. 

Key features 

• Fast image load times 
• Gutenberg editor 
• Map layout 
• Compatibility with WordPress plugins 
• Stunning layouts in the free version

Photo Gallery by 10web – Best mobile-friendly WordPress gallery plugin

Photo Gallery by 10web enables users to create visually attractive, mobile-friendly galleries in minutes. 

This plugin has an intuitive interface and minimal settings, making it suitable for all users.

It has drag-and-drop functionality allows you to upload images and organize your galleries quickly. Speaking of which, you can use various layouts, including masonry, sliders, and grids. 

Another of this plugin’s draws is the Lightbox feature. On mobile devices, it looks absolutely amazing. With the 15 slideshow effects, captivating your visitors can be effortless. 

The free Photo Gallery by 10web version offers social media and widget support. 

With the premium version, use right-click protection to prevent visitors from copying or downloading your images. Additional features include watermarking, Lightbox tools, and eCommerce options. 

Even so, this plugin’s paid plans only give you access to updates for 6 months. 

Key features 

• Mobile-friendliness
• Drag-and-drop system 
• Social media support
• Security features 
• eCommerce tools

Photo Gallery by Supsystic – Best for creating simple galleries 

Big on simplicity? 

Photo Gallery by Supsystic can help you create clean, good-looking galleries to grab your visitors’ attention. 

This plugin’s free version is pretty solid. It offers a range of beautiful layouts, social media sharing, watermarking, linking options, shadow, and animated effects. 

The premium version brings many other handy features to the table. For example, pagination lets you control the number of images on a single gallery page. 

If you have a lot of images, the FTP uploader makes adding them easier.  Plus, this plugin is available in multiple languages to accommodate all users. 

The only downside I found is that the free version lacks video support. 

Key features 

• Trendy gallery styles 
• Protection features 
• Multi-lingual support
• Social media sharing 
• Video support