Master Slider vs WP Carousel
Updated 22 Oct 2026. 18 features compared side by side.
Touch-friendly image and video slider from averta, with a free version on WordPress.org and a one-time-fee Pro version with layers on CodeCanyon.
Carousel and slider plugin by ShapedPlugin for images, posts, WooCommerce products and videos, with blocks, page builder support and lightbox.
Choose Master Slider if…
- You need layers & free-form editing and dynamic content & social feeds
- You want the more complete feature set (82/100 vs 76/100)
Choose WP Carousel if…
- You need block editor block
Master Slider includes 2 features that WP Carousel lacks, including Layers & free-form editing and Dynamic content & social feeds; WP Carousel has 1 that Master Slider lacks, including Block editor block. Both include 13 of the 18 features we track. 2 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Master Slider WP CarouselSlide types6/64/6
Image sliders with drag-and-drop creation and smart auto crop.
Image carousels and sliders with captions, alt text and links.
Video slides with autoplay timing in free; Pro adds YouTube/Vimeo embeds and HD video backgrounds.
YouTube in free; Vimeo, Wistia, TikTok, Twitch and self-hosted video in Pro.
Post slider with filtering for any post type is a Pro feature.
Recent posts and WooCommerce products free; pages, CPTs and taxonomy filters in Pro.
Carousel-style layouts with visible nearby slides are listed among Pro features.
Multi-column carousels are the core feature.
Pro adds animated text, image, button, video and hotspot layers.
No free-positioned layer editor; Pro content slides use text/HTML blocks instead.
Full-width and full-screen layouts are Pro features.
No full-screen or hero mode documented.
Editing & design5/54/5
Drag-and-drop slider editor in free; Pro adds WYSIWYG style editors and a timeline.
Settings panels with live preview and block previews, not a free-form canvas.
8 starter samples in free; Pro offers 30+ one-click samples (80+ per CodeCanyon).
Ready Patterns library and saved templates added in version 3.0.
6+ CSS3/3D transitions free; layer animations and parallax in Pro.
Slide, flip and centre modes; no Ken Burns, parallax or layer animations.
Thumbnails, tabs, arrows, bullets, timer bar and circle timer in free.
Styled arrows and dots plus a Thumbnails Slider block.
Flickr and Facebook slider sources in Pro.
Sources are images, posts, products and videos; no social or RSS feed sources listed.
Mobile & performance3/44/4
Responsive scaling is documented, but per-device layer hiding is not confirmed.
Columns and spacing per device and hide navigation on mobile; no per-layer controls.
Touch swipe navigation optimised for touch devices.
Touch swipe and mouse drag supported.
'Smart loading assets' and a preload setting; no explicit image lazy-load option found.
Lazy-loading option for images added in version 3.0.
Marketed as SEO-friendly with clean HTML5 markup; Pro layers are real HTML text.
Real img tags with editable alt text, titles and captions.
Integrations2/33/3
No native block; CodeCanyon lists it as not Gutenberg optimised (shortcode/widget instead).
Carousel, Slider, Thumbnails Slider and Tiles blocks.
CodeCanyon lists Elementor compatibility; no dedicated builder widget is documented.
Elementor, WPBakery, Beaver Builder, Divi, Oxygen and Bricks support listed.
WooCommerce product slider with advanced filtering in Pro.
Product carousels with price, rating and add-to-cart button in free.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Master Slider Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Pro (Regular License) | $39 one-off, 1 site |
| Pro (Extended License) | $87 one-off, 1 site |
WP Carousel Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Single Site | $39 per year, 1 site |
| Five Sites | $99 per year, 5 sites |
| Unlimited Sites | $199 per year, Unlimited |
| Single Site Lifetime | $278 lifetime, 1 site |
Downloads trend
Master Slider
4,894 downloads last week
WP Carousel
46,506 downloads last week
Verdict
Master Slider scores higher on our feature checklist (82/100 against 76/100) and includes layers & free-form editing and dynamic content & social feeds that WP Carousel does not. WP Carousel still has the edge on block editor block. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Master Slider: paid version (Pro). WP Carousel: not included. Pro adds animated text, image, button, video and hotspot layers.
Master Slider: not included. WP Carousel: included. Carousel, Slider, Thumbnails Slider and Tiles blocks.
Master Slider: paid version (Pro). WP Carousel: not included. Flickr and Facebook slider sources in Pro.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Master Slider or WP Carousel?
Master Slider scores higher on our feature checklist (82/100 against 76/100) and includes layers & free-form editing and dynamic content & social feeds that WP Carousel does not. WP Carousel still has the edge on block editor block. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Master Slider includes 16 of the 18 features we track, against 15 for WP Carousel. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Master Slider free?
Master Slider has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39.
Is WP Carousel free?
WP Carousel has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39/yr.
Feature data last changed 22 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Master Slider or WP Carousel. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.