Oh, sliders. Some people love them and some people hate them, but there’s no avoiding the fact that they are everywhere! We really love sliders when they’re done well. Unfortunately, sometimes they can seem distracting and unnecessary. There are hundreds of slider plugins out there for WordPress but choosing the right one can a process. You might find that some slider plugins are more limiting than others, or that some make your page load slower than usual. When I try out new sliders for clients, I always download the free version first (if there is one) and then I upgrade to the premium version if I need the extra features. Thankfully, most sliders have demos and reviews, so I usually know exactly what I’m getting before I download.
Today I want to share our top 5 favorite sliders! Some we’ve used for TBM or client sites, and others we’re thinking about using in the future.
1. Slider Pro
This is my absolute favorite slider plugin. I discovered it when I was researching sliders to use for my friend’s website (Bramble Workshop). It took me some time to figure out how to use and customize it, but once I did, creating additional sliders was a piece of case. I love how clean these sliders are and how many options you can choose from!
2. Meta Slider
This is the plugin we currently use on this website. It’s super customizable and allows you to pull slides directly from your blog feed! We love Metaslider because it’s extremely customizable and we have been able to accomplish exactly what we need from it. We had to do a bit of coding to create the perfect slider, so keep in mind that there might be a small learning curve.
3. Soliloquy
This is a premium plugin that I have never actually used but have come so close to purchasing. It’s definitely on my wishlist. Soliloquy allows you to create beautiful, responsive sliders in a very non-complicated way. You can also incorporate WooCommerce products and Instagram photos into your sliders. Click here to see the demos!
I hadn’t heard of this plugin until recently, but it has so many amazing features. If you feel like getting fancy with your slider, this might be a great option for you. The free version comes with several great features already, and the pro version gives you even more advanced options. Smart Slider 3 is extremely user friendly and fully optimized for mobile devices. So many good things.
This is an excellent plugin for those of you who want a fully responsive slider but don’t want to deal with any HTML, CSS, or PHP. It’s easy to set up and maintain, and you’ll have full control over the look of the slider. I love how many options are included in just the free version!
If you have any experiences with these sliders (or other ones), we’d love to hear what you’ve liked or disliked about them. On a more general note, do you guys even like sliders? :)