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Master Slider
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.
Free installs60K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~31KLikely 20K–47K
Rating4.6/5504 reviews
Price from$39Freemium
Last updated8 Oct 2026Version 3.11.5
Overview
Master Slider is a responsive touch slider from averta, the developer that later built Depicter. It has been around for over a decade and exists in two editions: a free version on WordPress.org and Master Slider Pro, sold as a one-time purchase on CodeCanyon where it has passed 31,000 sales. averta now promotes Depicter as its next-generation slider, but Master Slider still receives updates, mostly security fixes in 2026.
How it works
You build sliders in a drag-and-drop admin editor, add image or video slides and configure navigation, transitions and autoplay. The free edition already ships a lot of navigation choice: arrows, bullets, thumbnails and tabs, vertical or horizontal layouts, mouse-wheel control, timer bars and six skins, plus hardware-accelerated 3D transitions and touch swipe. Sliders are inserted with a shortcode or widget.
Free vs Pro
Pro is where Master Slider becomes a layer slider. It adds animated text, image, button, video and hotspot layers with a timeline, parallax on scroll, swipe and mouse movement, full-width and full-screen layouts, post sliders for any post type, a WooCommerce product slider, Flickr and Facebook sources, layer actions and deep linking, and a larger template set (the CodeCanyon page cites 80+ samples). Pro costs $39 for a regular licence with six months of support included.
Strengths and limitations
- Strength: very rich navigation and thumbnail options even in the free version.
- Strength: one-time Pro price instead of a yearly subscription.
- Limitation: no native Gutenberg block; CodeCanyon lists it as not Gutenberg optimised.
- Limitation: development focus has moved to Depicter, and three security fixes shipped in 2026.
- Limitation: the interface and template designs feel dated next to newer builders.
Master Slider suits users who want a free, swipe-friendly slider with flexible thumbnails, or who prefer paying once for a layer slider. New projects that need block editor integration or long-term feature development may be better served by averta’s Depicter.
Best for: Users who want a free touch slider with flexible thumbnail navigation, or a one-time-fee layer slider.
Master Slider's free edition is generous on navigation and transitions, and Pro is cheap as a one-off purchase. Its age shows in the lack of a block and in averta's push towards Depicter, so it is best for existing users or simple needs rather than new long-term builds.
Pros
- Free version has arrows, bullets, thumbnails, tabs and timer bars
- Touch swipe and hardware-accelerated 3D transitions
- One-time $39 Pro licence
- Pro adds layers, parallax, post and WooCommerce sliders
- Large sample library in Pro (80+ per CodeCanyon)
Cons
- No native block editor block
- Development focus has shifted to Depicter
- Several security fixes in 2026 (keep it updated)
- Layers and full-screen layouts are Pro-only
- Pro support is limited to the Envato support period
Key features
What Master Slider highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Image and video slides
- Touch swipe and mouse drag
- Arrows, bullets, thumbnails and tabs
- 6+ transitions with 3D effects
- Six skins and 8 starter samples
- Timer bar and circle timer
- Loop, shuffle and auto-height
- Smart auto crop of images
- Import and export sliders
- Built-in cache and smart asset loading
- Multisite and translation ready
Pro / paid adds From $39
- Animated text, image, button and video layers
- Hotspots and tooltips
- Timeline-based layer editing
- Full-width and full-screen layouts
- Post slider for any post type
- WooCommerce product slider
- Flickr and Facebook sources
- Parallax on scroll, swipe and mouse
- YouTube/Vimeo and HD video backgrounds
- Layer actions and deep linking
- 30+ one-click sample sliders
- 600+ Google Fonts
Feature checklist
16 of 18 features we track in Sliders & Carousels, feature score 82/100
Slide types 6/6
Image slider Key
Slides from images with captions and links.
Image sliders with drag-and-drop creation and smart auto crop.
Included
Video slides
YouTube, Vimeo or self-hosted video in slides.
Video slides with autoplay timing in free; Pro adds YouTube/Vimeo embeds and HD video backgrounds.
Included
Post & product sliders Key
Slides built automatically from posts, pages or WooCommerce products.
Post slider with filtering for any post type is a Pro feature.
Paid version Pro
Carousels Key
Multiple items visible at once, scrolling as a carousel.
Carousel-style layouts with visible nearby slides are listed among Pro features.
Paid version Pro
Layers & free-form editing Key
Text, buttons and images positioned freely as layers on each slide.
Pro adds animated text, image, button, video and hotspot layers.
Paid version Pro
Hero & full-screen sections
Full-width or full-screen hero sliders and scenes.
Full-width and full-screen layouts are Pro features.
Paid version Pro
Editing & design 5/5
Visual drag-and-drop editor Key
Edit slides visually with a live preview.
Drag-and-drop slider editor in free; Pro adds WYSIWYG style editors and a timeline.
Included
Ready-made templates
Pre-designed slider templates to import.
8 starter samples in free; Pro offers 30+ one-click samples (80+ per CodeCanyon).
Included
Animations & effects
Transitions, layer animations, Ken Burns or parallax effects.
6+ CSS3/3D transitions free; layer animations and parallax in Pro.
Included
Navigation options
Arrows, dots, thumbnails and progress bars.
Thumbnails, tabs, arrows, bullets, timer bar and circle timer in free.
Included
Dynamic content & social feeds
Slides from social feeds, RSS or custom data sources.
Flickr and Facebook slider sources in Pro.
Paid version Pro
Mobile & performance 3/4
Device-specific controls Key
Hide, resize or rearrange layers per device.
Responsive scaling is documented, but per-device layer hiding is not confirmed.
Not verified
Touch & swipe
Swipe gestures on phones and tablets.
Touch swipe navigation optimised for touch devices.
Included
Lazy loading & optimisation Key
Lazy-load images and load scripts only where needed.
'Smart loading assets' and a preload setting; no explicit image lazy-load option found.
Partial
SEO-friendly markup
Real HTML text, alt text and headings rather than images only.
Marketed as SEO-friendly with clean HTML5 markup; Pro layers are real HTML text.
Included
Integrations 2/3
Block editor block
A native block for the WordPress block editor.
No native block; CodeCanyon lists it as not Gutenberg optimised (shortcode/widget instead).
Not included
Page builder widgets
Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder or similar widgets.
CodeCanyon lists Elementor compatibility; no dedicated builder widget is documented.
Partial
WooCommerce product slides
Show prices, add-to-cart buttons or product data in slides.
WooCommerce product slider with advanced filtering in Pro.
Paid version Pro
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
Free version on WordPress.org.
Pro (Regular License)
$39one-off1 site
Sold on CodeCanyon; includes 6 months support, extendable (12-month extension listed at $12.75 on offer, $29.75 regular).
Pro (Extended License)
$87one-off1 site
Envato extended licence for products sold to end users.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 22 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Master Slider?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
60K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~31K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: Website scans by WPoptic find the paid plugin (folder masterslider) on 43,738 live sites; they find the free version on 46,821 sites against about 65K WordPress.org installs, so each site found stands for about 1.5, giving 66K. 31,676 paying customers or sales over 12 years; assuming 30% still use it and 1.3 sites per licence gives 12K. About 65K free installs x 20% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when many key features are paid) gives 13K. Combining these (weighted average) gives about 31K. Likely range: 20K to 47K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 22 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
4,762 downloads last week, 3.3M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 3.11.5 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 8 Oct 2026 (26 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.0+, PHP 5.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 0 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 12 Jul 2014 |
Master Slider compared
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FAQ
Is Master Slider free?
Yes. Master Slider has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39.
How many sites use Master Slider?
WordPress.org reports 60K+ active installations of the free version. We estimate around 31K sites run the paid version.
Does Master Slider have image slider?
Yes: included. Image sliders with drag-and-drop creation and smart auto crop.
Does Master Slider have post & product sliders?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Post slider with filtering for any post type is a Pro feature.
Does Master Slider have carousels?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Carousel-style layouts with visible nearby slides are listed among Pro features.
Does Master Slider have layers & free-form editing?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Pro adds animated text, image, button, video and hotspot layers.
Does Master Slider have visual drag-and-drop editor?
Yes: included. Drag-and-drop slider editor in free; Pro adds WYSIWYG style editors and a timeline.
Does Master Slider have lazy loading & optimisation?
Yes: partial. 'Smart loading assets' and a preload setting; no explicit image lazy-load option found.
What is the difference between Master Slider free and Pro?
Free covers image and video sliders with rich navigation and transitions. Pro adds layers, parallax, full-screen layouts, post and WooCommerce sliders and Flickr/Facebook sources.
How much does Master Slider Pro cost?
A regular CodeCanyon licence is $39 one-time for one site, with six months of support included.
Is Master Slider still maintained?
Yes, it is updated (several 2026 security releases), but averta now presents Depicter as its newer slider product.
Does Master Slider have a Gutenberg block?
No native block is documented; sliders are added with a shortcode or widget.
Last updated 22 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.