Grid Gallery – for Photo Gallery, Image Gallery & Portfolio
Create a beautiful Photo Gallery, Image Gallery, or Portfolio. Use Simple Shortcodes and it Supports Gutenberg Block and Elementor Widget.
Solid choice
Grid Gallery is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 1K+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 1 month ago, and scores 78/100 on our health check.
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Grid Gallery stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| gallery | #54 |
| image gallery | #38 |
| photo gallery | #28 |
| portfolio | #34 |
| responsive gallery | #39 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 8 reviews
About Grid Gallery
From the official readme · v2.0.6Description
Do you want to show your images in a clean grid? This plugin helps you create a stunning Photo Gallery, Image Gallery, or design Portfolio. It is fully integrated with a native Gutenberg Block and a dedicated Elementor Widget, allowing you to insert and customize your grids directly within your preferred editor without copying and pasting shortcodes.
Showcase your photographs, design projects, and business assets with high-performance grids. Traditional galleries use pop-ups that hurt user experience. Grid Gallery expands clicked images inside the page layout itself. This keeps your visitors focused, engaged, and reading your content longer.
It works great for:
* Photographers who want to show their best shots in a beautiful Photo Gallery.
* Artists displaying their creative designs in a professional Portfolio.
* Business owners showing their latest products in a clean Image Gallery.
* Bloggers sharing their favorite travel stories.
View Pro Demo: Grid Gallery Premium
More About Pro: Grid Gallery Premium
Where To Buy: Buy Grid Gallery Premium
Why Choose Grid Gallery?
- Seamless Inline Previews: Users browse full-sized images directly within the grid structure without launching separate windows.
- Gutenberg & Elementor Ready: Select and insert your galleries using our native Gutenberg Block or dedicated Elementor Widget inside your preferred editor layouts.
- SEO-Optimized Image Loading: Built to load assets quickly, which boosts search engine rankings and keeps users happy.
- Touch-Enabled Mobile Sliders: Mobile visitors swipe through your gallery easily with fluid, finger-friendly touch navigation gestures.
- Clean HTML5 Architecture: Coded strictly with semantic standards to match any premium or custom WordPress theme effortlessly.
Build Your Photo Gallery, Image Gallery, or Portfolio
- Organize your photos into unlimited customized collections for different pages.
- Upload multiple images simultaneously using the built-in WordPress media library interface.
- Copy and paste simple shortcodes, or use the native Gutenberg Block and Elementor Widget to display grids on pages, posts, or widgets.
- Customize grid columns, animation speeds, hover styles, and thumbnail borders.
Free Features
- Grid Columns & Layout: Customize columns (up to 6 columns) to fit any screen resolution.
- Image Source Quality: Select WordPress media resolutions (Thumbnail, Medium, Large, or Full Size) to optimize loading speed.
- Grid Crop Shape (Aspect Ratio): Choose 1:1 Square or 4:3 Classic grid cropping.
- Spacing & Frames: Toggle item spacing (gaps) and padded frame containers for thumbnails.
- Hover Animation Styles: Select between 5 unique hover transitions (Grow, Shrink, Float Shadow, Shadow Radial, Box Shadow Outset).
- Gallery Loading Spinner: Customize spinner styles (Spinner, Pulse, Dots, or disabled) and apply custom loading brand colors.
- Thumbnail Sort Order: Display images chronologically (Oldest First, Newest First) or in Randomized order.
- Text Overlay & Detail Panel: Show titles on thumbnails, display titles in the active preview drawer with customizable font size (range slider) and custom title color.
- EXIF Camera Data: Automatically extract and show camera metadata (ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture, and Lens) inside the expanded detail drawer.
- Expanded Navigation Drawer: Custom open/close transition speed (0ms to 20000ms) and select from 26 transition easing curve equations.
- Clickable Link Actions: Configure “Read More” hyperlinks and link opening behavior (New Tab vs Same Tab).
- Gutenberg Block Integration: Seamlessly select and insert grid galleries using the native editor block.
- Elementor Widget Support: Easily drag and drop grid galleries inside the Elementor page builder.
Pro Features
Unlock the full potential of your galleries with our premium version:
- Global Settings Dashboard: Configure lazy loading, shimmering skeleton screens, global custom CSS sandbox editing, and bulk import/export panel options globally across all galleries.
- Inline Video Embedding: Embed YouTube, Vimeo, and local MP4 videos inside the preview panel with platform-branded hover play buttons.
- Device Responsive Columns: Define separate grid column distributions for Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile viewports for perfect responsiveness.
- Custom CSS Sandbox: Inject custom CSS codes directly in settings to overwrite layouts without losing edits on plugin updates.
- Skeleton Shimmer Loads: Display high-fidelity shimmering skeleton loader frames on thumbnail grid layout blocks during initialization.
- Load More AJAX Pagination: Split image load lists into pages with a customizable, animated AJAX Load More button.
- Bulk JSON Import & Export: Migrate layouts effortlessly. Export configurations as JSON files and import them to restore settings on any other site.
- One-Click Gallery Duplicator: Instantly duplicate any gallery layout, configuration settings, and enqueued image lists from the dashboard.
- 6 Premium Aspect Crop Ratios: Unlock 6 crop shapes (1:1 Square, 4:3 Classic, 16:9 Widescreen, 3:2 Photo, 2:3 Portrait, and 3:4 Portrait).
- 20+ Creative Hover Animations: Advanced 2D, shadow, grow, shrink, and glow transitions.
- Frosted Glassmorphism Overlay: Enable modern frosted glass design on detail panels/overlays with custom color filters.
- Transient Performance Caching: Auto-caches HTML layouts inside database transients to guarantee lightning-fast rendering.
More Pro Demo Examples
Installation
- Go to your WordPress admin panel.
- Search for “New Grid Gallery” in the plugins screen.
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Go to the new “Grid Gallery” menu.
- Click “Add New” and upload your photos.
- Copy the shortcode and paste it on any page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a new Photo Gallery, Image Gallery, or Portfolio?
Navigate to the “Grid Gallery” menu in your WordPress dashboard and click “Add New.” Upload your images using the uploader, choose your desired columns and animation speeds in the settings panel below, and click Publish. You can display the gallery by copying and pasting the generated shortcode, or by selecting the gallery directly using the Gutenberg block or Elementor widget.
Can I use this for a design Portfolio?
Yes. The grid structure and clean hover animations make it an excellent choice for a professional portfolio. You can showcase illustrations, web design screenshots, or photography portfolios in elegant grids that highlight your work beautifully.
Does this Image Gallery work on mobile phones?
Absolutely. The plugin is designed with a fully responsive fluid grid. It uses CSS3 hardware acceleration to ensure smooth transitions and supports natural swipe gestures for a perfect mobile viewing experience.
Can I add titles to my photos?
Yes. You can add unique titles and descriptions to each uploaded image. You have full control to display or hide titles on the thumbnail grid or show them during the active preview expansion.
Does it work with page builders?
Yes, it is fully compatible with major page builders and editors. It includes a native Gutenberg Block for the default block editor and a dedicated Elementor Widget for the Elementor page builder. For other builders like Divi or Beaver Builder, you can simply paste the gallery shortcode into any text, code, or HTML block.
Can I link photos to other pages?
This feature is available in the Pro version. You can add custom links to any photo in your image gallery to direct users to specific landing pages.
Where do I get support?
You can ask questions on our support forum. We are happy to help you.
Changelog
Redesigned All Gallery custom shortcode columns and added coexistence priority bypass when Grid Gallery Premium is active. Recommended update.
2.0.6
- Date: 20 July 2026
- Redesigned custom shortcode, copy button, and copied status badge on All Gallery admin listing page.
- Improved free and premium coexistence handling to bypass free version execution when Grid Gallery Premium is active.
2.0.5
- Date: 9 July 2026
- Our plugin and our themes CSS fixed
2.0.4
- Date: 29 June 2026
- Modernized Gutenberg Block and Elementor Widget structures.
- Fixed block image rendering issue inside WordPress page editors by automatically disabling lazy loading in admin and REST preview requests.
- Resolved asset enqueuing inside page builder preview contexts.
- Implemented cache key separation for admin previews to avoid conflicts with frontend performance cache.
2.0.3
- Date: 27 June 2026
- Fixed dashboard sub-menu permissions by replacing role string with manage_options capability.
- Improved admin button hover states and styling consistency across settings.
- Added seamless coexistence support for Grid Gallery Premium, yielding execution priority without conflicts or header errors.
2.0.2
- Date: 25 June 2026
- Added Right Click Protection card under layout settings page recommending the Right Click Ban plugin.
- Updated documentation page with information on Right Click Protection.
- Added live demo, rating, and upgrade buttons on the documentation page and the Upgrade to Pro tab.
2.0.1
- Date: 17 June 2026
- Updated gallery navigation SVG icons for better visibility.
- Fixed incorrect ‘Premium’ branding in Elementor and Gutenberg widgets.
Screenshots
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Best Grid Gallery alternatives
All gallery plugins →
FAQ
Grid Gallery: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Grid Gallery free?
Yes. Grid Gallery is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. The developer also sells premium add-ons or a Pro version with extra features.
Is Grid Gallery safe to use in 2026?
Grid Gallery is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 1K+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 1 month ago, and scores 78/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Grid Gallery?
Grid Gallery is active on 1K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 101,789 times since it launched in October 2016. It was downloaded 559 times in the last 30 days.
Does Grid Gallery work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested Grid Gallery up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 5.0 or newer.
What PHP version does Grid Gallery need?
Grid Gallery requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Grid Gallery last updated?
The latest version, 2.0.6, was released on August 20, 2026 (1 month ago).
Who makes Grid Gallery?
Grid Gallery is developed and maintained by A WP Life.
What are the best alternatives to Grid Gallery?
The most popular alternatives to Grid Gallery are Smart Slider 3 (800K+ installs), Slider, Gallery, and Carous… (500K+ installs) and Photo Gallery, Sliders, Pro… (300K+ installs).
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