SZGallery renders galleries with zero layout shift, loads 3.5 KB where there is a gallery and 0 KB where there isn't — and never duplicates your images. WCAG 2.2 AA accessible lightbox included.
Layouts are 100% CSS with ratios resolved server-side: zero layout shift (CLS = 0). The core weighs 3.5 KB gzip and the lightbox 2.5 KB — no jQuery, no dependencies. On pages without a gallery, SZGallery loads nothing at all. srcset and sizes derive from your columns, with native lazy loading.
A WCAG 2.2 AA lightbox: focus trap, full keyboard support (Esc, arrows, Home, End), swipe, zoom with panning and fullscreen. Triggers are real links, so everything works even without JavaScript. Animations respect prefers-reduced-motion and the layout is RTL-ready.
SZGallery never duplicates files or creates its own folders: a gallery image is a regular attachment in your Media Library. Your CDN, your image optimizer and your offload plugins keep working untouched.
Grid, Masonry, Justified, Slider, Carousel, Square, Columns, Horizontal and Vertical. Every gallery sets its own columns, gaps, crop ratios and breakpoints.
Hover effects (zoom, fade, lift, grayscale), title overlays, staggered entrance animations, corner radius, borders and caption typography — all from the UI, no CSS. Save the result as a preset and apply it to any gallery. Settings cascade: global defaults → preset → gallery → instance, so you change a look in exactly one place.
Organize with albums, sub-albums, tags and categories.
Already using the native WordPress gallery block? Select it and transform it into SZGallery in one click — same images, zero re-uploads, because everything lives in your Media Library. You also get a Gutenberg block with live preview, the [szgallery] shortcode, a classic widget and an Elementor widget.
Export and import as slug-versioned JSON (re-importing updates, never duplicates), CSV and XML. Copyable system status and an event log for support.
| Criterion | SZGallery | Typical gallery suites |
|---|---|---|
| Assets on gallery-free pages | 0 KB | Typically load sitewide |
| Asset weight with a gallery | 3.5 KB + 2.5 KB lightbox (gzip) | Significantly heavier, configuration-dependent |
| Layout shift (CLS) | 0 — server-side ratios | Varies |
| Accessible lightbox (keyboard + focus trap) | WCAG 2.2 AA | Partial or undocumented |
| Duplicates your images? | Never | Some create their own folders |
| Works without JavaScript | Yes — real links | Generally not |
| Lifetime price | US$249.99 · unlimited sites | Not always offered |
Competitor data per the public documentation of NextGEN, FooGallery, Modula and Envira at time of writing; subject to change. We invite you to measure it: install both and compare with Lighthouse.
Pay once. Forever, on all your sites.
No. On pages without a gallery it loads zero bytes. With one, the total cost is 3.5 KB (plus 2.5 KB if you open the lightbox), and the layout never jumps because ratios are computed server-side.
Never. A gallery image is a regular Media Library attachment. No parallel folders, no copies: your CDN and optimizers keep working as-is.
Select the native gallery block and transform it into SZGallery in one click. Same images, zero re-uploads.
Yes: triggers are real links, so images open even without JS. With JS, the lightbox meets WCAG 2.2 AA: full keyboard support, focus trap, swipe, zoom and prefers-reduced-motion support.
No. SZGallery outputs ImageGallery JSON-LD and og:image, but disables itself automatically when it detects an active SEO plugin.
PSR-4, a szgallery/v1 REST API, layout and module registries for adding your own, and theme-overridable templates, WooCommerce-style.
Paid plans activate with a key issued by Sitezeen's licensing infrastructure (Ed25519 signatures) and receive updates right in your WordPress dashboard.