Finding the perfect free WordPress slider plugins for your site is by no means an easy task. At last count, there were 690 sliders in the WordPress Plugin Repository. So who’s got time to test every plugin? To help you separate the wheat from the chaff, I’ve ranked and reviewed the top 10 popular free slider plugins available in the repository.
All the free WordPress slider plugins are fully compatible with any of our Visualmodo WordPress themes
Free WordPress Slider Plugins List:
Meta Slider
Meta Slider is the most popular Slider available for WordPress, with a massive 467,707 downloads. It comes with four jQuery sliders –Nivo Slider (responsive, 16 transition effects, four themes), Coin Slider (four transition effects).
Flex Slider 2 (responsive, two transition effects, carousel mode), Responsive Slides (responsive, fade effect only). Creating a new slider is simple – add your image, select which Slider you want to use, and the plugin will spit out a shortcode you can insert anywhere on your site. There’s also a pro version of this plugin if you want to pay money for more features.
Interested in Meta Slider?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
Smart Slider 3
Smart Slider 3 stands out among free WordPress sliders in 2019, and it’s easy to see why. The built-in live editor makes creating slides fast and efficient. You can easily create any design visually, and it lets you customize every layer. Several controls, transitions, styles, fonts, and more customization options help showcase your images and videos effectively.
This plugin has a 4.9-star rating at WordPress.org on over 500 reviews and over 300,000 active installs. Overall, Smart Slider 3 is arguably one of the most well-rounded options for free WordPress slider plugins.
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
Easing Slider “Lite”
With almost 400,000 downloads, Easing Slider Lite is the second most downloaded slider plugin in the repository.
This lightweight plugin allows you to set the dimensions and duration of your Slider and includes the option to make your slideshow responsive. In addition, there are two transition effects, fade and slide. Like many sliders, you will need to use a shortcode to add your Slider to a post or page.
You can only create one Slider with this plugin, so if you want to have more than that on your site, you should look elsewhere.
Interested in Easing Slider “Lite”?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
Smooth Slider
Firstly, Smooth Slider offers a content and image slideshow with a customizable background and slide intervals you can place anywhere on your site. The plugin’s features include a responsive design and six transition effects. It also supports custom sliders, category sliders, and recent post sliders. Template tags, shortcodes, and a widget are included.
I tried to set up a new slider, but the plugin crashed my site every time I tried to go into the plugin’s settings. I checked out Smooth Slider’s support page on the repository site, and it seems other users with up-to-date versions of WordPress have also been having issues.
Interested in Smooth Slider?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
WOW Slider
A Slider Wow is unusual because you need to download a separate program, WOWSlider wizard, to create a slideshow. Once you’ve put together your slideshow, you can upload it to the plugin. So, you’ll need to copy and paste a shortcode to insert your Slider anywhere on your site. The plugin’s website includes fairly comprehensive documentation to help you if you run into any problems.
Interested in WOW Slider?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
slider Multi Image Slider for WordPress
vSlider allows you to display an unlimited number of image sliders on your site, though it makes me wonder, how many sliders are too many? You can insert sliders into your site either with a shortcode, a custom widget or by using it as a function in your theme. The plugin has a helpful FAQ and a video tutorial that walks you through setting up your first Slider. There’s also a forum available if you run into any problems. So, interested in vSlider Multi Image Slider for WordPress?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
SlideDeck
The SlideDeck is a popular and comprehensive premium plugin that offers advanced functionality if you’re after a feature-packed slider. But if you want to start using sliders on your site, the lite version, which has just had a big update, is worth trying out first.
Interested in SlideDeck?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
EasyRotator for WordPress – Slider Plugin
This plugin promises users “beautiful, responsive photo rotators and sliders to your WordPress site in seconds,” but it takes a bit of setting up. Firstly, you’ve got to install Flash software to create your slides – or rotators – on your local machine, which I admit I found annoying.
Then you can create a new rotator from within the page or post editor. Using a function call, you can also use a shortcode to insert a rotator in your site or add a rotator to your theme. After going to the trouble of installing the Flash program, it didn’t work when I tried to set up a basic slider from the Post Editor. Finally, after digging around, I discovered this plugin doesn’t work with Safari/Chrome.
Interested in EasyRotator for WordPress – Slider Plugin?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
Responsive WordPress Slider – Soliloquy Lite
Soliloquy is one of the more well-known sliders out there, and for a good reason – it’s simple to set up; you don’t need to download flash software to create and upload sliders or mess around with the settings. It just works. After adding your images, select your slider size and speed and hit “publish.”
Then you’ll need to copy the resulting shortcode onto any page or post where you want the Slider displayed. While this is a lite version, it still comes with enough features to make it worth trying out.
Interested in Responsive WordPress Slider – Soliloquy Lite?
Cyclone Slider 2
This slider plugin 2 takes sliders back to basics. It offers a straightforward plugin setup that displays a simple image slider and includes options such as delays, dimensions, and pause on hover. The plugin supports images, YouTube, Vimeo, custom HTML, and testimonial sliders. You can drag and drop to re-order your slides, and the sliders are responsive. This plugin also comes as a pro version.
Interested in Cyclone Slider 2?
DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
Responsive Slider
Firstly, the Slider is a straightforward slider plugin with few settings but makes up for its ease of use. Adding new slides is a snap; you can place them anywhere on your site with a shortcode or into your theme with a function call.
The settings allow you to change the width and height of your Slider and add a transition effect, a delay, animation duration, and automatic start. However, this plugin is for single sliders only, so if you want to set up multiple sliders on your site, you should check out a different plugin.
Interested in Responsive Slider?
The Most Popular Slider is Also the Best, And the winner is Meta Slider.
The WordPress community knows a good plugin when it sees one.
Meta Slider is not only the most downloaded slider plugin but has also received the highest rating from users in the community.
I found it a pleasure to use, with a nice balance of features and functionality – for free.
vSlider Multi Image Slider, SlideDeck 2 Lite, and Soliloquy Liteare also great slider plugins if you have an image-heavy site and want to make the most of sliders. These three themes have been developed by professional outfits looking to draw in customers – and more sales – with free products.
If you want a simple slider with no bells and whistles, give Cyclone Slider 2 a go. It’s a great basic slider that is easy to set up and isn’t weighed down by countless settings and options.
But you can’t go past Meta Slider if you’re after something with more sites, outstanding features, and the ability to place multiple sliders on your site.
