Best WordPress Slider Plugins

Ever seen a website that has a moving or what appears to be a sliding image? This is called a slider. If you’ve been wondering how to get this design element for your website, here’s some of the best WordPress Slider plugins in the community.

In the WordPress community, a “Slider” is a type of design element that pieces several images, text, and sometimes even video together. Each image or video rotates to another image or video, like a carousel. The slider’s design functionality is often for just show, but when cleverly used with call to actions, it can convert your visitors into doing what you need them to do on your website.

A WordPress slider plugin in general, is designed and developed so the end-user can maintain the style, images, text, and links for each “slide”. In some WordPress slider plugins, you can adjust the settings to tell how long each slide will show.

Web designers have a love and hate relationship with sliders. Most of it is due to how the slider is used and whether it was necessary to use on a website. However, the biggest part why web designers decide to use a WordPress slider plugin or not, is due to the features that they offer. So, what makes a good WordPress slider plugin?

Here are just a few features that are ideal for a good WordPress slider plugin:

• Responsive design
• Allows for images and video
• Allows inclusion for text and links
• Multiple choices for different kinds of styling
• Fast loading
• Easy to use from the admin area
• Web accessible

Responsive design

There’s over 6.64 billion smartphone users across the globe, so your slider should have either the built in responsive design capabilities, or allow for you to make sure the design is responsive.

Allows for images and video

While videos might be a bit more bulky, a good WordPress slider plugin can accommodate both image and video.

Allows inclusion for text and links

Your slider plugin should allow you to add text and even links to each slide. Sure, you can go without, but why not use each slide as a way to get your visitors to visit other areas of your website, or perform an action that you’d like them to do?

Multiple choices for different kinds of styling

There are different types of designs for sliders. A WordPress slider plugin that offers different styling options or design templates is ideal for any website creator.

Fast loading

Out of the box, your WordPress slider plugin should be fast loading. As you add more slides, you’re going to see your website’s frontend get slower. Just make sure when you add each image, that you’re optimizing each.

Easy to use from the admin area

The best WordPress slider plugins will be easy to navigate and understand. If there are settings you don’t understand, the plugin should have documentation to help guide you through customizing your slider.

Web accessible

When choosing a WordPress slider plugin, make sure that it has some web accessibility options, so anyone, regardless of disability, can view your slider without problems.

Below are some of the best WordPress slider plugins. Please note some are free, some are solely premium, and others offer options to pay to upgrade for more features.

1. Carousel, Slider, Gallery by WP Carousel
2. Layer Slider
3. Meta Slider
4. Slider Revolution
5. Slider- Ultimate Responsive Image Slider
6. Smart Slider
7. Soliloquy
8. Wonder Slider
9. WP Logo Showcase Responsive Slider and Carousel
10. WP Responsive Recent Post Slider

1. Carousel, Slider, Gallery by WP Carousel

2. Layer Slider

Layer Slider is one of the more advanced WordPress slider plugins on the market. You can build animations, pop ups, 3D special effects, infobars, and beautiful slideshows. This plugin even offers templates to help you create a dynamic slider that pops.

This plugin is a premium paid one, and costs as low as $23 per year.

3. Meta Slider

Meta Slider allows you to create nice and responsive slideshows using images and video. You can add captions, links, and even optimize each slide for SEO. This plugin is fully compatible with the Gutenberg block editor, and offers 4 different slide motions: Flex Slider 2, Nivo Slider, Responsive Slides, and Coin Slider.

The Meta Slider plugin also includes a gallery feature so you can display your favorite photos. You can even put together a featured post slide too!

4. Slider Revolution

Slider Revolution is a super popular premium WordPress slider plugin that is responsive and allows you to build interactive slides, carousels, and even animations. In fact, Slider Revolution also works as a page builder too, so you can go beyond just sliders. This means that one plugin can help you create an entire website without having to touch any code! Pretty cool right?

Slider Revolution costs as low as $35 per year, and includes over 200 design templates, 25+ special effect add-ons, and access to a library of stock photos, icons, and more.

5. Slider- Ultimate Responsive Image Slider

Slider - Ultimate Responsive Image Slider has a big name, but it’s decent for those who don’t need a fancy WordPress slider plugin. This plugin says it’s SEO-friendly and responsive. You can upload multiple photos, and enable or disable slideshow thumbnails.

6. Smart Slider

Smart Slider is interesting as it offers a lot of potential with its free version, but it’s best to purchase the premium version. You can use the Smart Sliders drag and drop tools to build each slide. You can literally see what your slide will be, as you create it. This plugin allows you to use images, video, links, and text. It’s also compatible with most page builders!

While the free version comes with 14 templates, the premium version includes over 120 templates plus special effect add-ons. Smart Slider’s premium version costs as low as $49 per year for one website.

7. Soliloquy

Soliloquy is a decent responsive WordPress slider plugin, but it may not be the best in the market, if you’re looking for something that offers more templates and dynamic effects. However, it does offer a PDF slider option, which is different from other sliders in the WordPress market. You can also import images to your slider from Instagram and Pinterest.

To benefit from all of Soliloquy’s features, you can purchase the plugin for as little as $17 per year or try it out free with their lite version.

8. Wonder Slider

Wonder Slider offers a built in lightbox gallery, 3D transitions, and full-width slider options. You can use images, Youtube, Vimeo, and other video files for your slides. This slider isn’t super complex, so if you don’t need a lot, but you need your slider to support video, then this might be the WordPress slider plugin for you.

9. WP Logo Showcase Responsive Slider and Carousel

WP Logo Showcase Responsive Slider and Carousel is something different from the rest of the WordPress slider plugins on this list. It’s dedicated mostly to show off logos. This is great if your business has a lot of partners, or if they’ve been seen a lot in the press, or have a lot of certifications to display. You can add the WP Logo Showcase with shortcode, PHP, or even a Gutenberg content block.

10. WP Responsive Recent Post Slider

WP Responsive Recent Post Slider solely focuses on displaying your recent posts in either a slider, or carousel effect. While this plugin only has one design template to choose from for the carousel effect, it has 4 design options for the slider.

If you’ve been wanting to add more movement to your website, and make it more interactive for your visitors, then a WordPress slider plugin may be what you want. Try each out and see what helps, or ask your designer if they have a recommended slider that they regularly use. Just make sure that the slider isn’t just images, but includes a call to action, so it serves a purpose in what counts, getting a return on investment.