Photo galleries break up big bodies of text and allow your viewers to see a visual representation of your chosen subject or life.
On top of this, they also help with the overall engagement and traffic of your page.
If you use WordPress, there are plenty of plugins specifically designed for photo galleries that you can add to your site.
We’ve put together a list here of 8 of the best WordPress plugins you can currently use on your WordPress website, and we’ve included detailed descriptions of some of the features they include. So let’s take a look!
8 Of The Best WordPress Gallery Plugins
Below, you will find a list of 8 of the best WordPress gallery plugins that are currently available on WordPress.
Each of these plugins offers its own unique features that will really enhance your photos and photo galleries on your website.
1. Envira Gallery
To begin this list, we will take a look at Envira Gallery. This gallery plugin offers you a quick and easy setup that is sure to look good on your WordPress website.
You are able to choose between a free version and a premium version of this plugin, but each offers you basic features that can really optimise your photo gallery.
Some of the premium features that are included with Envira Gallery are watermarking, video support, WooCommerce support, social sharing, albums, and much more.
You can include social media share buttons with your Envira Gallery, so you are able to keep the engagement going with no issues at all.
You’re also able to automatically import your images from Instagram or Pinterest, so you can keep your galleries up to date and you can personalise them as much as you desire.
Envira Gallery also caters to mobile devices and mobile support, so you don’t have to worry about your WordPress gallery not looking good on mobile devices.
Because of this accessibility, it will keep users on all different devices engaged and happy for much longer.
If you don’t have time to create a layout from scratch, you can choose from multiple premade templates which will save you a lot of time. There are some layouts available on the free version too.
2. NextGEN Gallery
NextGEN Gallery is one of the best and most popular photo gallery plugins available on WordPress.
With the free version, you can choose between thumbnail and slideshow galleries, as well as two different album styles, in the form of extended and compact.
NextGEN Gallery is also extremely customizable, allowing you to edit and change the style, timing, transitions, controlling size, lightbox effects, and many more features.
If you choose to subscribe to the premium version, you will be able to implement eCommerce functionality, watermark your images, and enable your images for deep linking.
If you have a lot of images you want to showcase on your website, NexGEN offers you the ability to create multiple albums, so you will be able to organise your images and put them into different albums and this will make your gallery a whole lot easier to explore.
One of the biggest selling points of NextGEN is that it offers you so many different types of galleries and gallery layouts, so you can choose whatever gallery you want and it can stay on theme with the rest of your WordPress website.
Another great feature of NextGEN is that any visitors that visit your site and find themselves in the gallery can interact with it.
They can leave comments on the images, which will help with the overall engagement of your website.
If you don’t want this function though, you are able to turn the comment feature off.
The free version is a lot more basic than the premium version, but they do continue to add more features to it.
If a photo gallery is an important part of your WordPress website, investing in the premium version is definitely worth it and in your best interest.
3. Modula
Modula is an extremely user-friendly photo gallery plugin for WordPress. It is an extremely customizable plugin, so you can be sure to find a format and layout within it that suits your overall theme.
With Modula, you are able to customise the grid functionality, as well as freely resize your images, control their aspect ratios, as well as control their heights and widths.
This plugin caters to all forms of WordPress users, from beginners all the way to experts, so it is extremely accessible and functional for all levels of designers and website builders.
Modula has a big focus on drag-and-drop customization and editing, so you will have no issues navigating and using this plugin.
If you are looking for something with a bit more of an advanced customization feature, Modula also allows you to add CSS to each individual gallery on the plugin, so you can really get into every nook and cranny when it comes to customising this plugin exactly how you want.
If you choose to get the premium plugin, you will be able to add videos to your galleries which will offer even more to your visitors and keep them engaged with your gallery for much longer.
4. Jetpack
Jetpack is a multipurpose plugin that you can use on WordPress that allows you to use lots of WordPress features.
If you’re after a gallery plugin that is a bit more basic just to get you started, Jetpack is the perfect plugin for you to utilise.
One of the great things about Jetpack is that the gallery portion is completely free to use and there are no premium upgrades you will need to consider installing.
Once you have Jetpack, you are free to use all its features for no additional cost.
If you do choose to utilise their gallery feature, you need to make sure that you turn on the Image CDN tool.
This will make sure that the images all load really quickly and it won’t cause any problems for the rest of your WordPress website.
You’re able to add captions to all your images with Jetpack, as well as add more columns, change any names, and reorder the images in any way you see fit.
There are a few different formats included with Jetpack for your gallery, one of which is the standard tile format that doesn’t crop your images.
If you’re a bit more experienced in design and you have some coding capabilities, there is an option for developers to add custom code to the frontend on Jetpack.
This makes this gallery plugin perfect for all levels of design experience.
5. Photo Gallery By 10Web
Photo Gallery by 10Web is a gallery plugin that is simple and straightforward to use.
You can choose between the free and premium version of this plugin, but if you can’t afford the premium version, the free version is still a great plugin to use.
The premium version lets you add videos to your gallery, whereas you can’t do this with the free version, so you may want to bear this in mind if videos are an important part of your content.
Photo Gallery by 10Web is also a great plugin that works hand in hand with SEO optimization.
If you want your photo gallery and WordPress website to have better traffic and engagement, then choosing this photo gallery plugin would be beneficial to your website.
A great feature of this plugin is that it allows you to present your gallery in a blog-friendly format.
By utilising this feature, your readers will be able to view your gallery in a format that allows them to keep reading at the same time.
You’re also able to add media from lots of different websites like YouTube, Instagram, Flickr, and Vimeo to your WordPress website with this plugin, so if you want to break up your images with some video content from other websites, you’re able to do that.
There are also a few widget options with this plugin as well, which lets you add your galleries and photos to sidebars and footers, which gives you the opportunity to make your WordPress Website a bit more unique.
Photo Gallery by 10Web also comes with some pre-made themes that you can customise to fit into the rest of the theme of your website with no complications.
You can customise the photo sizing and the color options, and a few other aspects as well.
6. Gmedia Photo Gallery
Gmedia Photo Gallery is one of the lesser-used photo gallery plugins on this list, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked.
It has a sleek and professional-looking design and when you get the premium version, you will have a whole load of features that will make this plugin even better.
Gmedia has a wide variety of demos you can try out before you commit to any features, so you’ll know exactly what works for your WordPress website and what doesn’t.
This plugin also offers you the opportunity to create an automatic “related posts” gallery, so you can keep your audience and visitors engaged for longer periods of time, while also keeping the things they are viewing on topic with whatever images they have clicked on.
One of the more unique features of Gmedia Photo Gallery is that it allows you to play music and videos in your gallery, so your website visitors can listen to whatever you want them to while they view your visual content.
It is an easily accessible plugin that allows you to drag and drop images wherever you see fit, so you can customise the way your feed looks.
You can also use a geolocating feature by geotagging all your photos if you want your visitors to know where the photos were taken.
If you want your WordPress website visitors to interact with your photos, you have the ability to turn on the comment section.
This will increase engagement on your website and make your visitors feel more involved.
You can also activate social media buttons and sharing tools to make your photo gallery even more interactive.
7. Image Gallery By Robo
Image Gallery by Robo has both a free and premium plugin that you can use with your WordPress website.
It provides a Gutenberg module, which allows for instant publication, so you don’t have to worry about it becoming time-consuming to use.
You will also gain access to lots of demos with Image Gallery by Robo, so you’ll be able to test out any designs before you actually commit to them.
This will help you work out exactly what you want and what works for your WordPress website without having to worry about starting all over again.
A lot of the features on this plugin are automatic, so if you want things like the resizing and cropping of images to be done automatically, you can tweak the settings to do this.
This plugin also comes with a built-in color selector that lets you work out what colors suit your brand the best.
Other customization options include adjusting the font settings, editing the borders and shadows of your images, and more.
The more you tweak the overall design of your photo gallery, the more personal your website will feel and look and it will give a better visual representation of your brand to any visitors who make their way onto your website.
If you want to add YouTube videos to your photo gallery, Image Gallery by Robo allows you to add these videos, which will break up the images in your gallery a bit more and can keep your visitors engaged for a bit longer.
8. Meow Gallery
Meow Gallery is a photo gallery plugin for WordPress that comes in both free and premium versions.
The free version will provide you with 5 free layouts that include tiles, masonry, justified, square, and cascade, as well as a Gutenberg Block, and a shortcode.
The premium version has all of the features of the free version, but you also have access to many more features on top, as well as licenses for multiple sites, and extra customer support.
Meow Gallery also works with Lightroom, so if you have experience with this or you want to use it with this plugin, you are able to do so.
Meow Gallery is one of the fastest plugins on this list in terms of upload speed.
You also don’t really have to mess around with the settings when you’re uploading, so a lot of your experience will just be uploading media in a matter of seconds.
This makes it one of the easiest and quickest photo gallery plugins for WordPress on this list.
Though you only have access to 5 layout options with the free version, the premium version will over you a wide variety of layouts that you can edit and adjust to fit into the overall theme of your WordPress website.
Another great feature Meow Gallery has to offer is its ability to let you add music and audio to your gallery.
When you choose the right audio, it will keep your visitors engaged and also keep them entertained for longer.
If you want your gallery to be a bit more dynamic, Meow Gallery offers you a wide variety of animations you can include in your photo gallery.
They have a huge selection you can choose from, which includes ade-ins, colorization, highlights, and many, many more.
You can only use the animation feature if you upgrade to the premium version though, so keep that in mind.
Another great feature of Meow Gallery is its “Map Layout” for your photo gallery.
If you spend a lot of time traveling or going on trips, this feature allows you to make a gallery dedicated to these trips, geotagging the locations of each individual photo so your visitors can follow along on your journey.
It also integrates Google Maps into this “Map Layout” so you will be able to see the exact locations with no issues at all.
The “Map Layout” is a great feature for getting your visitors involved and making them feel like they are a part of your journey.
It’s interactive and it will hold their attention for longer. This feature is extremely unique in comparison to some of the other gallery plugins on this list.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are so many different options for a photo gallery plugin for your WordPress website, and each one has its own advantages and unique features.
Regardless of what you need for your site, you are sure to find it with one of the plugins we have included here.
A good photo gallery can make all the difference to your website, so you definitely need to use one of these plugins if you want your WordPress website to look sleek and professional.
With eye-catching photo galleries implemented on your website, you are sure to keep your audience engaged for longer.
Hi, my name is Ollie Wilson and I have been a keen blogger since I was a young teen. I was growing up with the rise of YouTube and bloggers, and the people I followed influenced me to start blogging. They were making a lot of money from their blogs, and I wanted that too!
I’ve now had this blog for almost a decade. In that time, I’ve learned how to monetize it to start earning money, which servers are the best for each blog type, and how to optimize your domains.
Now it’s time to share my knowledge and help others create their own successful blogs, just like I wish I had when I was creating my first blog. It can be daunting when you first set up your site, but with my advice, you’ll have a great looking blog in no time. Let’s get started!
