Slider Revolution
Premium visual builder by ThemePunch for animated sliders, carousels and hero sections, with 200+ templates, addons and social or WooCommerce content.
98
Smart Slider 3
Freemium layer-based slider builder by Nextend with a visual editor, templates, post slides and device-specific settings; Pro is a one-time purchase.
Free installs800K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~160KLikely 100K–240K
Vendor claims900K+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.9/51,125 reviews
Price from$49 lifetimeFreemium
Last updated28 Oct 2026Version 3.5.1.40
Overview
Smart Slider 3 is a slider builder from Nextend, which also offers a Joomla edition. It is one of the most installed slider plugins on WordPress.org and is known for a free version that already includes a proper layer editor rather than a basic image carousel.
Sliders are built in a visual editor that shows the slide as it will appear. You place layers such as headings, text, buttons, images and YouTube or Vimeo videos anywhere on the slide, snap them into position, and switch between desktop, tablet and mobile views to hide layers or adjust sizes per device. Sliders are inserted with a Gutenberg block, a shortcode, or the integrations for page builders such as Elementor, Divi and Beaver Builder.
Free vs Pro
The free plugin gives you two slider types (simple and block), six layer types, around 14 starter templates, arrows, bullets, thumbnails and progress bars, touch swipe, slide background animations and a WordPress posts generator. Smart Slider 3 Pro adds the carousel and showcase slider types, 20 more layers, a layer animation builder with a timeline, Ken Burns and parallax effects, full-page layouts, 120+ templates, lazy-loading and image optimisation options, and the full set of dynamic generators including WooCommerce products, custom post types, RSS, Flickr, YouTube and other sources.
Unusually for this category, Pro is sold as a one-time payment with lifetime updates and support on the activated domains rather than as a yearly licence. Standard covers one site and Premium covers several.
Strengths and limitations
- Strengths: real free layer editor, per-device controls in the free version, high WordPress.org rating, lifetime Pro pricing.
- Limitations: carousels, WooCommerce slides, lazy loading and most animation effects are Pro-only; the editor has a learning curve for simple image slideshows.
Smart Slider 3 suits site owners who want a designed, layered hero or post slider without paying, and those who prefer to buy once rather than renew every year.
Best for: Site owners who want a capable free layered slider and a lifetime Pro licence rather than a subscription.
Smart Slider 3 offers one of the most complete free slider editors on WordPress.org, with layers and per-device controls included. Pro is good value as a one-time purchase, though carousels, WooCommerce slides and lazy loading sit behind it.
Pros
- Free version includes a real visual layer editor
- Hide layers and set breakpoints per device without paying
- Pro is a one-time payment with lifetime updates
- Gutenberg block plus Elementor, Divi and Beaver Builder support
- Wide range of Pro dynamic sources including WooCommerce, RSS and YouTube
- Very high WordPress.org rating
Cons
- Carousel and showcase slider types are Pro-only
- Lazy loading and WebP options for slide backgrounds need Pro
- WooCommerce and custom post type slides need Pro
- Editor is more than you need for a plain image slideshow
Key features
What Smart Slider 3 highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Visual drag-and-drop slide editor
- Image, heading, text and button layers
- YouTube and Vimeo layers
- About 14 starter templates
- Slides from WordPress posts
- Full-width and boxed layouts
- Arrows, bullets, thumbnails and bar
- Touch swipe and keyboard navigation
- Hide layers per device
- Custom responsive breakpoints
- Gutenberg block and page builder support
- Multisite support
Pro / paid adds From $49 lifetime
- Carousel and showcase slider types
- 26 layer types in total
- 120+ slider templates
- Layer animation builder and timeline
- Ken Burns, parallax and shape dividers
- Full-page responsive layout
- WooCommerce product slides
- RSS, YouTube, Flickr and other generators
- Lazy loading and WebP conversion
- Built-in lightbox
- One-time payment, lifetime updates
Feature checklist
18 of 18 features we track in Sliders & Carousels, feature score 97/100
Slide types 6/6
Image slider Key
Slides from images with captions and links.
Image slides with heading, text and button layers in the free plugin.
Included
Video slides
YouTube, Vimeo or self-hosted video in slides.
YouTube and Vimeo layers are free; Pro adds more media layers.
Included
Post & product sliders Key
Slides built automatically from posts, pages or WooCommerce products.
Free WordPress posts generator by category or tag; custom post types and WooCommerce need Pro.
Included
Carousels Key
Multiple items visible at once, scrolling as a carousel.
Full carousel slider type is Pro; free users get a basic block carousel.
Partial
Layers & free-form editing Key
Text, buttons and images positioned freely as layers on each slide.
Free-form layers in the free editor (6 types); Pro has 26.
Included
Hero & full-screen sections
Full-width or full-screen hero sliders and scenes.
Full-width and block sliders free; full-page layout is Pro.
Included
Editing & design 5/5
Visual drag-and-drop editor Key
Edit slides visually with a live preview.
Drag-and-drop slide editor with snapping and device previews.
Included
Ready-made templates
Pre-designed slider templates to import.
About 14 free templates; Pro unlocks 120+.
Included
Animations & effects
Transitions, layer animations, Ken Burns or parallax effects.
Free slide transitions and background animations; Ken Burns, parallax and layer animation builder are Pro.
Included
Navigation options
Arrows, dots, thumbnails and progress bars.
Arrows, bullets, thumbnails, autoplay and bar controls in the free version.
Included
Dynamic content & social feeds
Slides from social feeds, RSS or custom data sources.
Pro generators include RSS, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, events and gallery plugins.
Paid version Pro
Mobile & performance 4/4
Device-specific controls Key
Hide, resize or rearrange layers per device.
Hide layers per device and set custom breakpoints in the free version.
Included
Touch & swipe
Swipe gestures on phones and tablets.
Touch swipe, scroll and keyboard navigation included free.
Included
Lazy loading & optimisation Key
Lazy-load images and load scripts only where needed.
Lazy loading mode for slide backgrounds and WebP conversion are marked Pro.
Paid version Pro
SEO-friendly markup
Real HTML text, alt text and headings rather than images only.
Layers output real HTML text; listed as SEO optimised in the free version.
Included
Integrations 3/3
Block editor block
A native block for the WordPress block editor.
Native Gutenberg block (updated to the v3 block API).
Included
Page builder widgets
Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder or similar widgets.
Supports Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery and SiteOrigin.
Included
WooCommerce product slides
Show prices, add-to-cart buttons or product data in slides.
WooCommerce generator builds slides from products.
Paid version Pro
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
WordPress.org version: 2 slider types, 6 layers, about 14 templates.
Standard
$49lifetime1 site
One-time payment with lifetime updates and support; 4 slider types, 26 layers, 120+ templates. One domain transfer per year.
Premium
$99lifetime3 sites
Same features as Standard. Pricing page also offers 5- and 10-site options; their prices were not shown separately.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 22 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Smart Slider 3?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
800K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
900K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~160K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor figure (900K+) is within WordPress.org's rounding of the free installs, so it says nothing about paid sites. Website scans by WPoptic find the paid plugin (folder nextend-smart-slider3-pro) on 37,743 live sites; they find the free version on 177,520 sites against about 850K WordPress.org installs, so each site found stands for about 4.8, giving 180K. About 850K free installs x 8% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid) gives 68K. Combining these (weighted average) gives about 160K. Likely range: 100K to 240K. 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
283,970 downloads last week, 25M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 3.5.1.40 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 28 Oct 2026 (6 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.0+, PHP 7.0+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 3 of 3 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 12 Nov 2015 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 22 Oct 2026) Full refund within 14 days; refunding ends the licence. |
|---|
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FAQ
Is Smart Slider 3 free?
Yes. Smart Slider 3 has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $49 lifetime.
How many sites use Smart Slider 3?
WordPress.org reports 800K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 900K+ sites in total. We estimate around 160K sites run the paid version.
Does Smart Slider 3 have image slider?
Yes: included. Image slides with heading, text and button layers in the free plugin.
Does Smart Slider 3 have post & product sliders?
Yes: included. Free WordPress posts generator by category or tag; custom post types and WooCommerce need Pro.
Does Smart Slider 3 have carousels?
Yes: partial. Full carousel slider type is Pro; free users get a basic block carousel.
Does Smart Slider 3 have layers & free-form editing?
Yes: included. Free-form layers in the free editor (6 types); Pro has 26.
Does Smart Slider 3 have visual drag-and-drop editor?
Yes: included. Drag-and-drop slide editor with snapping and device previews.
Does Smart Slider 3 have device-specific controls?
Yes: included. Hide layers per device and set custom breakpoints in the free version.
Does Smart Slider 3 have lazy loading & optimisation?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Lazy loading mode for slide backgrounds and WebP conversion are marked Pro.
Is Smart Slider 3 Pro a subscription?
No. The pricing page sells Standard (1 site) and Premium (multi-site) as one-time payments with lifetime updates and support for the activated domains.
Can I make a carousel with the free version?
The full carousel slider type is part of Pro. The free version offers simple and block sliders; a basic block carousel was opened to free users in version 3.5.0.11.
Does Smart Slider 3 work with Elementor and the block editor?
Yes. It ships a Gutenberg block and lists Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery and SiteOrigin among supported builders, plus a shortcode.
Can I show WooCommerce products in a slider?
Yes, with Pro. The WooCommerce generator builds slides from products automatically; the free version only includes the WordPress posts generator.
Last updated 22 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.