Head-to-head · October 2026
Firelight Lightbox vs Merging Image Boxes
Firelight Lightbox comes out ahead, winning 7 of 7 head-to-head checks against Merging Image Boxes.
Firelight Lightbox
NEWS: Easy Fancybox is now Firelight Lightbox. Read about it here.
Merging Image Boxes
Merging Image Boxes is powered by the awesome jQuery plugin. The plugin creates a image matrix for your…
| Metric | Firelight Lightbox | Merging Image Boxes |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 200K+ | 10+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 155.2K | 68 |
| Download trend | +761.7% | +19.3% |
| Rating | 4.8/5 | — |
| Reviews | 360 | 0 |
| Health score | 90/100 | 23/100 |
| Last updated | 5 days ago | 9 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 7.1.3 | WP 4.9.34 |
| Support resolved | 67% | — |
| Requires PHP | 7.0+ | Any |
| First released | Aug 2010 | Oct 2011 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Firelight LightboxMerging Image Boxes
Choose Firelight Lightbox if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.
- Proven at scale on 200K+ active sites
- Loved by users — 4.8/5 from 360 reviews
- Actively developed — last update 5 days ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Momentum — downloads up 761.7% vs the previous 30 days
Choose Merging Image Boxes if…
You prefer its feature set and workflow — it holds its own on the fundamentals.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 8 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.9 (latest is 7.1)
FAQ
Firelight Lightbox vs Merging Image Boxes: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 10, 2026
Which is better, Firelight Lightbox or Merging Image Boxes?
Firelight Lightbox comes out ahead, winning 7 of 7 head-to-head checks against Merging Image Boxes. Choose Firelight Lightbox if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.
Is Firelight Lightbox more popular than Merging Image Boxes?
Firelight Lightbox is the more popular of the two with 200K+ active installs, compared with 10+ for Merging Image Boxes.
Can I use Firelight Lightbox and Merging Image Boxes together?
Both plugins cover gallery, image and photo, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are Firelight Lightbox and Merging Image Boxes free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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