WP GIF Player – Play & Pause
Insert GIFs that can be played and paused into your WordPress posts and pages using shortcodes and Gutenberg blocks.
Consider an alternative
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 300+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 5 years ago, and scores 33/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (300+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 5 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.7 (latest is 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 WP GIF Player – Play & Pause stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| gif | >100 |
| player | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About WP GIF Player – Play & Pause
From the official readme · v0.1.3Description
You can select one of the three GIF player methods in the plugin options page.
GIF
This is the default method.
When a GIF is uploaded in your Media Library it will create an image thumbnail to use it as the GIF player preview and when the user clicks on the GIF player the original GIF will be loaded once.
Canvas
With this method every GIF will be loaded in your post and then converted into a playable canvas. A thumbnail image is created as well when uploading the GIF in your Media Library.
For this process we’re using the libgif.js JavaScript library by BuzzFeed.
Video (Recommended)
Every GIF file will be converted to these video formats:
- WebM
- MP4
Why videos?
It is known that GIF files sizes are bigger than a video so using a video instead of a GIF file will help your website performance.
Want more details about converting GIF to video? Check the GIF as Video wiki.
Thumbnail Preview
The plugin will grab the GIF file and extract the first frame as JPEG image and use it as thumbnail preview. This file will be saved in the same folder of the original GIF.
The thumbnail image always generate once and doesn’t matter the selected GIF method.
Shortcode
If you’re still using the WordPress Classic Editor you must use the next shortcode:
[gif-player id="gif_id"]
If you don’t know the GIF ID you can add a GIF player using the “Add GIF Player” button next to the “Add Media” button.
When you click the “Add GIF Player” button the Media Library window will open and you will be able to select or upload your GIF.
When you save and view the post, the plugin will render the GIF Player according to the selected GIF Method in the plugin options page.
Gutenberg Block
You can use the GIF Player as a Gutenberg block. Check the wiki for more details.
Is compatible with Lazy Load?
Some Lazy Load plugins are compatible with the three GIF player methods in the plugin but there are other plugins that won’t allow you to reproduce the GIF player.
In case the GIF player cannot reproduce you can use your Lazy Load plugin filters to skip Lazy Load by using the GIF CSS classes.
The CSS classes for every GIF player are:
- GIF:
wp-gp-pp-gif - Canvas:
wp-gp-pp-gif-canvas-player - Video:
wp-gp-pp-video-player
If your Lazy Load plugin ask you to add a custom CSS class into the GIF asset to avoid Lazy Load you will have to use the GIF player custom filters in your functions.php file. Check the custom filters to avoid Lazy Load for the GIF players.
GIF as Video – Fallback
If for any reason your current GIF Player as Video doesn’t have any video source the plugin will render the default GIF Player (GIF) as fallback.
Installation
- Upload the plugin files to the
/wp-content/plugins/wp-gif-player-play-and-pausedirectory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress
- Use the Settings->WP GIF Player screen to configure the plugin.
Frequently asked questions
What if already have a GIF in my Media Library?
For those GIF files that are already uploaded in your Media Library you can generate the assets in one click. You just have to go to your Media Library section and see the media files as list then hover the GIF you want to generate the assets and click “Generate GIF Player” option. You should see an admin notice after success or fail assets generation.
What libraries or tools do I need to use GIF players as video?
To use the GIF Player as video you need two things: FFMpeg library. This is the library to convert the GIF files to video format. shell_exec. A PHP function to run the ffmpeg command. Check the GIF as Video wiki for more details.
What video formats does the GIF convert to?
By default the plugin converts the GIF to WebM and MP4 but you can add more using the custom filters.
Is compatible with Lazy Load?
Some Lazy Load plugins are compatible with the three GIF player methods in the plugin but there are other plugins that won’t allow you to reproduce the GIF player. In case the GIF player cannot reproduce you can use your Lazy Load plugin filters to skip Lazy Load by using the GIF CSS classes. The CSS classes for every GIF player are: GIF: wp-gp-pp-gif Canvas: wp-gp-pp-gif-canvas-player Video: wp-gp-pp-video-player If your Lazy Load plugin ask you to add a custom CSS class into the GIF asset to avoid Lazy Load you will have to use the GIF player custom filters in your functions.php file. Check…
Changelog
FIX #8: add_gif_button_scripts() method running in frontend page and should run in backend
0.1.3
- FIX #8: add_gif_button_scripts() method running in frontend page and should run in backend
0.1.2
- FIX: GIF Canvas were showing the original width and height.
- FIX: FFmpeg command not found message was showing another message.
- FIX: GIF files were not converted to MP4 due to scale issues.
- FIX: GIF files were saving in DB when these didn’t exist.
- IMPROVE: Run GIF Player JS functionality when exists in the post.
- FEATURE: Add warning notice when a GIF Player Video rendered as fallback.
0.1.1
- FEATURE: Add filter to update the default CSS classes for the GIF asset.
- IMPROVE: Check if the real GIF has any source in its attribute.
- FIX: It was finding the selector using nextChild instead of parentElement.
0.1.0
- Initial plugin functionality. Check the GitHub Repository to check the commits.
Screenshots
For developers
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Best WP GIF Player – Play & Pause alternatives
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FAQ
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 10, 2026
Is WP GIF Player – Play & Pause free?
Yes. WP GIF Player – Play & Pause is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP GIF Player – Play & Pause safe to use in 2026?
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 300+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 5 years ago, and scores 33/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP GIF Player – Play & Pause?
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause is active on 300+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 8,505 times since it launched in April 2020. It was downloaded 111 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP GIF Player – Play & Pause work with WordPress 7.1?
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause is officially tested up to WordPress 5.7.0, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does WP GIF Player – Play & Pause need?
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause requires PHP 7.0 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was WP GIF Player – Play & Pause last updated?
The latest version, 0.1.3, was released on April 11, 2021 (5 years ago).
Who makes WP GIF Player – Play & Pause?
WP GIF Player – Play & Pause is developed and maintained by Roel Magdaleno.
What are the best alternatives to WP GIF Player – Play & Pause?
The most popular alternatives to WP GIF Player – Play & Pause are GIF Master (3K+ installs), Flat Preloader (3K+ installs) and WP GIF Uploader (1K+ installs).
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