MetaSlider vs YouTube Embed Plus
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | MetaSlider v3.113.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.6/5 Visit Details | YouTube Embed Plus v14.2.6.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.6/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 500,000+ | 100,000+ |
| Last updated | September 30, 2026 | September 6, 2026 |
| Editions | MetaSlider Slideshow · MetaSlider Slideshow Pro ($) | Embed Plus for YouTube · Embed Plus Pro for YouTube ($) |
| 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 for channels and playlists, plus livestream support; Facade mode loads the real player only on click; Deferred JavaScript and minified assets for performance |
| 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 | Pro features need a separate Pro download and licence key; Galleries and live embeds need a YouTube Data API key; Many options, so setup takes some time |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| 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 ($), Premium themes and custom theme builder ($) | Facade mode with click-to-load player, Channel and playlist galleries via the YouTube API, Livestream embeds with live fallback template, Defer JavaScript for embeds, Gutenberg block for YouTube embeds, Pro features delivered as a separate download ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Social | — | YouTube Data API |
| Plugins | Elementor, Polylang, MetaSlider Slideshow Pro ($) | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | No |
| External services | — | www.googleapis.com |
| Blocks | — | 1 |
| Shortcodes | 3 | 4 |