11 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 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 a content delivery network (CND) 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. 

This improves user engagement by giving users a better, unobstructed view of your work.

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 11 WordPress Photo Gallery Plugins to Try in 2024

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.   

1. NextGEN Gallery – Best for Creatives and Advanced Users 

Any professional photographers and visual artists in the house? 

NextGEN is a feature-packed WordPress gallery plugin with many options for photo presentation. These include slide shows, mosaics, tiles, and masonry grids. 

A simple drag-and-drop approach enables you to upload an array of images. 

Alternatively, you can select files from your WordPress media library. The plugin allows you to add entire folders instead of importing each image individually. 

If you want to make money by selling your galleries as digital downloads, use the available eCommerce tools. But you’ll need a paid plan for that. 

More premium features for online businesses include automatic image backup and recovery, watermarking, built-in gallery management, metadata importation, coupons, and lightboxes.

Ultimately, NextGEN gives you complete control over the size, design, and transitions for each gallery. 

That said, this plugin’s free version only has three gallery styles — image browser, slideshow, and thumbnail. And is it particularly glamorous? No. 

It’s still worth it, though. You can enhance your site’s appearance without spending a fortune. 

Key Features 

• Batch image upload
• Image management 
• Multiple image display options 
• Metadata importation 
• Lightbox options

Pricing: Free with four pricing plans. Starter – $69.50/year, Plus – $99.50/year, Pro – $139.50/year, and Lifetime – $349.50 (one-time)

2. 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. 

But it starts at $33.99 per year. Although that’s cheaper than NextGEN, some users might hesitate to cough up that much.

Key Features 

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

Pricing: FooGallery has a free version and 3 PRO plans. Starter – $33.99/year, Expert – $69.99/year, Commerce – $99.99/year

3. Modula – Best WordPress Gallery Plugin for Non-Tech Savvy Users

Modula has the good stuff if you’re new to the game and want to make your work shine. 

Like my first two picks, it’s a great freemium WordPress gallery plugin for newbies and professionals. 

One of its standout features is a well-designed interface that effortlessly blends into the WordPress admin. This makes creating visually appealing and responsive galleries a breeze. 

Another of Modula’s selling points is the drag-and-drop grid builder. With it, you can customize your galleries to ensure each image stands out. 

I also liked compatibility with visual builders like Divi, lightbox functionality, social sharing, and custom Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) personalization. 

Image watermarking and right-click protection are nice touches. They ensure unauthorized users don’t use your work. However, you can only use them with paid access. 

More of Modula’s best premium features include video galleries, hover effects, and white labeling.  

Key Features 

• Simple interface 
• Image protection features 
• Social sharing 
• Drag-and-drop grid builder
• Hover effects 

Pricing: Free, with three paid plans. Starter – $39/year, Trio – $69/year, Business $99/year

4. Envira Gallery – Best Feature-Rich WordPress Photo Gallery Plugin

Envira Gallery, like Modula, comes with a user-friendly interface. 

But this isn’t your typical WordPress gallery plugin, thanks to its flexibility and boatload of features. 

The drag-and-drop system enables you to upload images and resize them. You can create multiple galleries within a few clicks. All this while, you don’t have to worry about messing up the code.   

Envira also comes with mobile-friendly templates, allowing your galleries to look amazing on all devices. 

To get the most out of this WordPress plugin, consider a subscription. 

Eager to know what’s in it for you? Well, for starters, you can include videos in your galleries. 

Another notable feature is watermarking, which gives you more exposure if users share your photos. 

With WooCommerce integration, Envira enables you to bring in a few bucks from your stunning images. You can also import images from social media websites like Pinterest and Instagram. 

Yet, Envira’s pricing starts at $39.50 per year. Some users may deem this too expensive. 

Key Features 

• Drag-and-drop grind builder
• Mobile-friendly templates 
• Protection features 
• Video support
• Social media integration 

Pricing: Free with four paid versions. Basic – $39.50/year, Plus – $69.50/year, Pro – $99.50/year, Lifetime – $349.50/year (one-time)

5. Jetpack – Best Multi-Purpose WordPress Photo Gallery Plugin

Jetpack has a dizzying set of features, including WordPress photo gallery functionality. 

If you want to create clean galleries without much editing, this is the plugin for you.

Jetpack’s tiled galleries feature has several formats to enhance your WordPress gallery system.  These include standard tiles without cropping and cropped perfect squares.  

You can also edit your photos to circles. 

Furthermore, Jetpack allows you to adjust your galleries until they meet your requirements or preferences. For instance, you can add names, increase the number of columns, and include or remove captions for a neat look. 

Thanks to the Image CDN tool, you can increase your website’s image load times. This improves performance. 

The plugin offers additional features for design, WordPress security, and marketing. 

Even so, Jetpack is a ‘jack of all trades’ and a ‘master of none.’ So, it’s safe to say it’s not the most dedicated WordPress photo gallery plugin on the market. 

Key Features

• All-in-one plugin
• Image CND tool 
• Beginner-friendly 
• Free gallery features 
• Simple editing capabilities 

Pricing: Free with different pricing plans; full suite – $24.95/month for the first year

6. 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 

Pricing: Free with a PRO version starting at $39/year

7. 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  

Pricing: Essential Grid has 3 pricing plans. Starter – $34/year ($69 one-time), Enthusiast – $89/year ($189 one-time), Professional $149/year ($309 one-time)

8. 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

Pricing: Free with several PRO versions, including Starter – $19/year, Standard – $29/year, Lifetime – $299 

9. 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

Pricing: Free with pro versions. Basic – $30, Pro – $60, Plugin Bundle – $100 

10. 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

Pricing: Free with a pro version starting at $49/year

11. Gmedia Photo Gallery – Best WordPress Plugin for Music Enthusiasts  

Besides its mobile app and ability to play music in galleries, the Gmedia Photo Gallery plugin offers a robust collection of features.

Leverage the four Gutenberg blocks to add galleries to your pages within a few minutes. 

If you need help, check out the development page, which offers a ton of demos for inspiration. 

You may appreciate the available widget as it considerably reduces the time you’ll take to add the galleries to sidebars or footbars. 

Interested in knowing what visitors think about your galleries? Enable active user comments. 

You can also add location tags to each image thanks to the geolocation. 

Gmedia works with Gutenberg blocks, just like the GT3 WordPress gallery plugin. 

They come in handy when you want to customize your build layouts. But if you’d rather skip them, the available gallery shortcodes have covered you. 

Unlike some of our picks above, Gmedia lacks an eCommerce option. 

On the upside, though, the price per license reduces as you buy more. 

Key Features 

• Music integration
• Gmedia mobile app
• Multiple gallery options 
• Geolocation
• Comments

Pricing: Free with premium versions based on the number of websites. 1 website – $29.99/year, 2 or more websites – $20/year, 6 or more websites – $15/year, 10 or more websites – $10/year

Improve Your Site’s Aesthetic With the Right Wordpress Gallery Plugin

When it comes to WordPress photo gallery plugins, there is no one-size-fits-all. Your needs come first. 

If you’re after quick and stunning galleries, Modula is your buddy. Heavy-duty plugins like Envira, NextGEN, or GT3 Image Gallery are your go-to options for photography maestros.

Feeling uncertain?

You can try out the free plans from various WordPress gallery plugins. Don’t settle until you land one that ticks all the boxes.