MetaSlider vs NextGen Gallery by Imagely
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| Feature | MetaSlider v3.113.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.6/5 Visit Details | NextGen Gallery by Imagely v4.5.4 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Paid Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 500,000+ | — |
| Last updated | September 30, 2026 | — |
| Editions | MetaSlider Slideshow · MetaSlider Slideshow Pro ($) | NextGEN Gallery · NextGEN Pro ($) |
| Pros | Image and local video slides from the media library at no cost; Shortcode, widget and block placement; Pro add-on adds video services, layer and post-feed slides | Galleries, albums and slideshows at no cost; Batch upload and media library import; Gallery and slideshow widgets |
| Cons | Video services, layers and post feeds are paid only; Premium themes and scheduling need the Pro add-on; Free version shows upgrade screens in the admin | eCommerce, watermarks and proofing need NextGEN Pro; Large feature surface for a basic gallery; Pro upsell and onboarding licence prompts in the admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 3 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Image slides with captions, links and SEO fields, Local video slides from the media library, Shortcodes for placing a slideshow, Slideshow widget, Slider and slide content types, Upgrade-to-Pro media tabs for video, layer, feed and WooCommerce slides, YouTube, Vimeo and TikTok video slides ($), Layer slides and external URL slides ($), Slide scheduling by date, time and weekday ($), Premium themes and custom theme builder ($) | Slideshow, thumbnail and imagebrowser gallery styles, Compact and extended album styles, Gallery and slideshow widgets, REST API namespace imagely/v1 for admin data, eCommerce image and gallery sales ($), Image and text watermarks ($), Image proofing for clients ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | — | Braintree ($), Stripe ($) |
| Plugins | Elementor, Polylang, MetaSlider Slideshow Pro ($) | WPML |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0 | 5.5.4 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | plugin.imagely.com |
| Blocks | — | 2 |
| Shortcodes | 3 | — |