Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
Awesome Motive's Instagram feed plugin for WordPress, part of the Smash Balloon family with separate Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X feed plugins.
90
Elfsight Instagram Feed
Hosted Instagram feed widget you design in Elfsight's online editor and embed on WordPress with a code snippet; free plan, then monthly or yearly SaaS plans.
Est. Pro installs~4KLikely 2K–8K
Vendor claims5K-50KVendor's own figure
Price from$60/yrFreemium
Overview
Elfsight Instagram Feed (formerly InstaShow) is one of 90+ hosted widgets from Elfsight. It is not a traditional WordPress plugin: you build the feed in Elfsight’s web editor, then paste the generated embed code into WordPress. The feed itself is served from Elfsight’s cloud, so it works the same on WordPress, Shopify, Wix or plain HTML sites.
How it works
You add up to five sources per widget, such as public accounts by username or hashtags, and choose a template: Grid, Slider, Profile, Hashtag, Social Wall, Carousel or a small sidebar style. A live editor with 50+ options controls columns, rows, colour schemes, which post elements appear and custom CSS. Visitors can open posts in a popup that plays videos and Reels, and you can add call-to-action buttons to posts that link to products or pages. Show and hide filters include or exclude posts by words, hashtags or post URL. Content is cached in Elfsight’s cloud and refreshed about every 48 hours.
Free vs paid
All features are in every plan, including the free one; plans differ by widget count and monthly views. The Free plan allows one widget and 200 views a month with Elfsight branding. Basic ($60/year), Pro ($120/year) and Premium ($240/year) raise the limits to 3, 9 and 21 widgets and 5K, 50K and 150K views, and remove branding. Every plan allows unlimited websites. For WordPress, Elfsight’s free Elfsight Blocks (Gutenberg) and Elfsight Blocks for Elementor plugins can embed widgets, though both lag behind current WordPress releases.
- Nothing to host or update on your server
- Same widget works across many sites and platforms
- View-based limits, so busy sites need a paid plan
Limitations
It shows Instagram only; Facebook, TikTok or mixed walls need other Elfsight widgets or the bundle. Images load from Elfsight’s servers rather than your media library, there is no consent mode beyond a removable view-count cookie, and the 200-view free plan suits testing more than live use. Tagged and mention feeds are marked “soon”.
Who should pick it: non-technical site owners, or agencies managing many platforms, who want a polished Instagram feed without installing a heavy plugin and accept a recurring subscription.
Best for: Site owners who want a no-code, hosted Instagram feed they can reuse across WordPress and other platforms.
Elfsight's Instagram Feed is polished and very easy to set up, and pricing is reasonable for low-traffic sites. The view-based limits, Instagram-only scope and reliance on Elfsight's servers make native WordPress feed plugins better value for busy sites or privacy-sensitive EU sites.
Pros
- No plugin code to maintain; feed hosted and cached by Elfsight
- Live no-code editor with many templates and colour schemes
- Account and hashtag sources, up to five per widget
- Popup viewer with video and Reels playback
- Call-to-action buttons can link posts to products
- Every plan, including Free, allows unlimited websites
Cons
- Instagram only; other networks need separate widgets
- Free plan capped at 200 views a month with branding
- Images and scripts load from Elfsight's servers, not your site
- Content refreshes roughly every 48 hours
- Official WordPress embed plugins are not tested with recent WordPress versions
Key features
What Elfsight Instagram Feed highlights on its own website, split by version.
Included features From $60/yr
- Instagram account and hashtag feeds
- Up to five sources per widget
- Grid, slider, carousel and profile templates
- Live no-code editor with 50+ options
- Popup viewer with video and Reels
- Call-to-action buttons on posts
- Show or hide posts by word or hashtag
- Follow button, likes and comments
- Custom CSS and colour schemes
- Lazy loading and responsive design
- Unlimited websites on every plan
- Free plan with 200 views a month
Feature checklist
11 of 18 features we track in Social Feed Plugins, feature score 62/100
Sources 2/8
Instagram feeds Key
Displays Instagram posts from your account.
Shows posts from public accounts by username; private profiles need a connected Business account.
Included
Facebook feeds
Displays Facebook page posts, photos or events.
Instagram-only widget; Facebook needs a separate Elfsight widget.
Not included
YouTube feeds
Displays YouTube channel or playlist videos.
Instagram-only widget; YouTube is a separate Elfsight product.
Not included
TikTok feeds
Displays TikTok videos.
Instagram-only widget; TikTok is a separate Elfsight product.
Not included
X (Twitter) feeds
Displays posts from X.
Instagram-only widget.
Not included
Other networks
Pinterest, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky or others.
Instagram-only; Elfsight's separate Social Feed widget covers other networks.
Not included
Combined social wall Key
Mixes several networks into one feed.
Its 'Social Wall' template shows Instagram only; mixing networks needs the Elfsight Social Feed widget.
Not included
Hashtag & tagged feeds Key
Shows posts by hashtag or posts you were tagged in.
Hashtag feeds in all plans; tagged and mention feeds marked 'Soon'.
Included
Display 6/6
Grid, carousel & masonry layouts Key
Several layouts with responsive columns.
Grid, Slider, Profile, Carousel and other templates with adjustable columns and rows.
Included
Visual feed customiser
Live editor for layout, colours and content.
Live no-code editor with 50+ options, colour schemes and custom CSS.
Included
Lightbox & popups
Open posts, videos and comments in a lightbox.
Popup mode shows full-size photos and plays videos and Reels.
Included
Shoppable feeds Key
Link posts to products or custom URLs.
Call-to-action buttons on posts can link to product pages or any URL.
Included
Moderation & filtering
Hide posts or filter by word or type.
Show/hide filters by words, hashtags or post URL.
Included
Blocks & page builder widgets
Gutenberg blocks or Elementor widgets.
Free Elfsight Blocks (Gutenberg) and Elementor plugins on WP.org embed widgets; both untested with recent WP.
Via add-on
Performance & privacy 3/4
Feed caching & background updates
Feeds cached and refreshed in the background so pages stay fast.
Content cached in Elfsight's cloud and refreshed about every 48 hours.
Included
Local image storage
Resized images stored on your site instead of loaded from the network.
Hosted SaaS widget; media is served from Elfsight, not stored on your site.
Not included
GDPR mode Key
Avoids loading third-party content until consent, or works without it.
No consent mode; one view-count cookie can be disabled by support, and scripts can be blocked by cookie tools.
Partial
Multiple accounts & feeds
Connect several accounts and create many feeds.
Up to five sources per widget on all plans; more widgets need a higher plan (Free = 1).
Included
Pricing
Free
$0Free version available
Free
Freeper monthUnlimited
1 widget, 200 views/month, Elfsight branding shown.
Basic
$60per yearUnlimited
$5/month billed yearly ($6 monthly). 3 widgets, 5,000 views/month.
Pro
$120per yearUnlimited
$10/month billed yearly ($12 monthly). 9 widgets, 50,000 views/month, priority support.
Premium
$240per yearUnlimited
$20/month billed yearly ($24 monthly). 21 widgets, 150,000 views/month, live chat support.
Enterprise
$360per yearUnlimited
From $30/month billed yearly (T1: 50 widgets, 300K views) up to $960/year (T4, unlimited views).
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Elfsight Instagram Feed?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
—
No free version on WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
5K-50K
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~4K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: Assumed ~15K WordPress installs (low end of 5K-50K range) x ~25% paid, since the 200-view free plan forces most live sites to upgrade -> 2K-6K, ~4K. Likely range: 2K to 8K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Company & policy
| Paying customers claimed | 3M+ (source, 14 Oct 2026) "Trusted by over 3,000,000" small businesses, agencies and brands (all Elfsight widgets, free and paid). |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 14 Oct 2026) Full refund for any reason within 14 days; cancel anytime. |
Elfsight Instagram Feed compared
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
Elfsight Instagram Feed/WP Social Ninja
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Flow-Flow Social Feed Stream
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Spotlight Social Feeds
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Social Feed Gallery
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Feed Them Social
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Juicer Alternatives to Elfsight Instagram Feed
Juicer
Hosted social media aggregator that combines posts from 15+ networks into one moderated feed, embedded in WordPress by shortcode or Elementor widget.
93
WP Social Ninja
Freemium plugin for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok feeds, plus review widgets, chat buttons and testimonials, from WPManageNinja.
83
Flow-Flow Social Feed Stream
Social wall plugin that mixes posts from 14+ networks into one cached stream, with a free Lite edition and a PRO version…
84
Feed Them Social
SlickRemix's free multi-network feed plugin for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, extended by paid Premium, TikTok and Combined Streams add-ons.
68
Spotlight Social Feeds
RebelCode's Instagram-only feed plugin with unlimited free accounts and feeds, plus paid hashtag, shoppable and analytics tiers.
62
FAQ
Is Elfsight Instagram Feed free?
Yes. Elfsight Instagram Feed has a free version. Paid plans start at $60/yr.
How many sites use Elfsight Instagram Feed?
The vendor claims 5K-50K sites in total. We estimate around 4K sites run the paid version.
Does Elfsight Instagram Feed have instagram feeds?
Yes: included. Shows posts from public accounts by username; private profiles need a connected Business account.
Does Elfsight Instagram Feed have combined social wall?
No: not included. Its 'Social Wall' template shows Instagram only; mixing networks needs the Elfsight Social Feed widget.
Does Elfsight Instagram Feed have hashtag & tagged feeds?
Yes: included. Hashtag feeds in all plans; tagged and mention feeds marked 'Soon'.
Does Elfsight Instagram Feed have grid, carousel & masonry layouts?
Yes: included. Grid, Slider, Profile, Carousel and other templates with adjustable columns and rows.
Does Elfsight Instagram Feed have shoppable feeds?
Yes: included. Call-to-action buttons on posts can link to product pages or any URL.
Does Elfsight Instagram Feed have gdpr mode?
Yes: partial. No consent mode; one view-count cookie can be disabled by support, and scripts can be blocked by cookie tools.
Is Elfsight Instagram Feed a WordPress plugin?
Not really. It is a hosted widget: you build it on elfsight.com and paste the embed code into WordPress. Elfsight's free Elfsight Blocks and Elementor plugins can embed it, but are optional.
What are the limits of the free plan?
One widget and 200 views per month, with Elfsight branding. Paid plans start at $60 a year for 3 widgets and 5,000 views per month.
Can it show hashtag or tagged posts?
Hashtag feeds are supported. Tagged and mentioned feeds are listed as coming soon; Elfsight points users to its Social Feed widget for those.
Is Elfsight Instagram Feed GDPR compliant?
Elfsight sets one view-counting cookie that support can disable, but there is no built-in consent mode, and images load from Elfsight's servers, so it should be covered in your cookie banner and privacy policy.
Last updated 13 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.