Juicer
Hosted social media aggregator that combines posts from 15+ networks into one moderated feed, embedded in WordPress by shortcode or Elementor widget.
93
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.
Free installs1M+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~150KLikely 98K–230K
Vendor claims1.75M+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.9/54,358 reviews
Price from$98/yrFreemium
Last updated28 Oct 2026Version 6.15.0
Overview
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed (the WordPress.org plugin formerly called Instagram Feed) is the Instagram member of the Smash Balloon family, now owned by Awesome Motive. It connects one or more Instagram accounts, then lets you build feeds in a visual customizer with a live preview and embed them with a block, widget, shortcode or Elementor widget.
The free plugin covers the essentials well: unlimited feeds, combining several accounts in one feed, a responsive grid with column and spacing controls, header and follow/load more buttons, background caching and locally stored, resized images (with WebP). A GDPR setting works with common consent plugins and serves a restricted feed from local images until the visitor consents.
Free vs Pro
Instagram Feed Pro is sold in three tiers. Basic adds the lightbox, carousel, masonry and highlight layouts, Stories and captions or like counts. Plus adds hashtag feeds, mixed feed types, visual moderation, filtering and templates. Elite adds tagged feeds, shoppable posts and feed themes. Other networks are separate products: Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X each have their own free plugin and Pro upgrade, and the Social Wall that merges them is only included in the All Access Bundle.
- Large user base and frequent updates
- Strong performance and privacy options in the free version
- Clear upgrade path across five networks
Limitations
The free version only offers a grid with no lightbox, so visitors click through to Instagram. Useful features such as hashtag feeds and moderation start at the Plus tier, tagged and shoppable feeds need Elite, and the advertised prices are first-year discounts with renewals at double the amount. Running several networks means several plugins, and the Social Wall requires the most expensive bundle.
Who should pick it: sites that want a polished, well-maintained Instagram feed with good caching and GDPR handling, and businesses that may later add Facebook, YouTube or TikTok feeds from the same vendor.
Best for: Sites that want a reliable, privacy-aware Instagram feed and may add other Smash Balloon networks later.
Smash Balloon is the most complete Instagram feed option, and its free version is stronger than most on performance and GDPR. The tiered Pro pricing gets expensive once you need hashtags, tagged posts or several networks, so price out the tier you really need.
Pros
- Free version includes background caching, local WebP images and a GDPR consent mode
- Visual customizer with live preview, block and Elementor widget
- Several Instagram accounts can be combined in one feed for free
- Mature product with frequent updates and a very large user base
- Same vendor covers Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X with matching plugins
Cons
- Free version has no lightbox and only a grid layout
- Hashtag feeds and moderation need Plus; tagged and shoppable feeds need Elite
- Advertised prices are first-year discounts; renewals cost twice as much
- Each network is a separate plugin and Social Wall needs the All Access Bundle
Key features
What Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Unlimited Instagram feeds
- Combine multiple accounts per feed
- Visual customizer with live preview
- Responsive grid with column controls
- Local WebP image storage
- Background feed caching
- One-click GDPR consent integration
- Block, widget and Elementor widget
- Header, follow and load more buttons
- Instagram oEmbeds without a developer app
Pro / paid adds From $98/yr
- Photo and video lightbox
- Carousel, masonry and highlight layouts
- Instagram Stories in the feed header
- Hashtag feeds (Plus)
- Visual moderation and filters (Plus)
- Feed templates (Plus)
- Tagged post feeds (Elite)
- Shoppable posts (Elite)
- Feed themes (Elite)
- Social Wall via All Access Bundle
Feature checklist
17 of 18 features we track in Social Feed Plugins, feature score 90/100
Sources 7/8
Instagram feeds Key
Displays Instagram posts from your account.
Free plugin displays posts, reels and videos from connected Instagram accounts.
Included
Facebook feeds
Displays Facebook page posts, photos or events.
Separate Smash Balloon Facebook feed plugin; free version on WP.org, Pro sold separately.
Via add-on
YouTube feeds
Displays YouTube channel or playlist videos.
Separate Smash Balloon YouTube feed plugin with free and Pro versions.
Via add-on
TikTok feeds
Displays TikTok videos.
Separate Feeds for TikTok plugin; free on WP.org with a paid Pro upgrade.
Via add-on
X (Twitter) feeds
Displays posts from X.
Separate X (Twitter) feed plugin; free tier limited to one feed refreshed weekly.
Via add-on
Other networks
Pinterest, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky or others.
No Pinterest, LinkedIn, Threads or Bluesky feeds; Reviews Feed covers review sites only.
Not included
Combined social wall Key
Mixes several networks into one feed.
Social Wall merges Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube; only in the All Access Bundle.
Paid version All Access
Hashtag & tagged feeds Key
Shows posts by hashtag or posts you were tagged in.
Hashtag feeds from Plus; tagged-post feeds need Elite.
Paid version Plus
Display 6/6
Grid, carousel & masonry layouts Key
Several layouts with responsive columns.
Free has a responsive grid with column controls; carousel, masonry and highlight need Pro.
Partial
Visual feed customiser
Live editor for layout, colours and content.
Visual customizer with live preview for layout, colours, header and buttons.
Included
Lightbox & popups
Open posts, videos and comments in a lightbox.
Lightbox for photos, reels and videos is a Pro feature in every tier.
Paid version Basic
Shoppable feeds Key
Link posts to products or custom URLs.
Shoppable posts link each post to a product or custom URL; Elite tier.
Paid version Elite
Moderation & filtering
Hide posts or filter by word or type.
Visual moderation plus filtering by hashtag, word or user from the Plus tier.
Paid version Plus
Blocks & page builder widgets
Gutenberg blocks or Elementor widgets.
Gutenberg block, widget and Elementor widget included in the free plugin.
Included
Performance & privacy 4/4
Feed caching & background updates
Feeds cached and refreshed in the background so pages stay fast.
Background caching (v6+) checks for new posts outside page loads.
Included
Local image storage
Resized images stored on your site instead of loaded from the network.
Resized images are stored on your server and served as WebP where supported.
Included
GDPR mode Key
Avoids loading third-party content until consent, or works without it.
GDPR setting works with Complianz, CookieYes and others, showing local images until consent.
Included
Multiple accounts & feeds
Connect several accounts and create many feeds.
Connect several accounts and combine them in one feed or keep separate feeds.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
Social Photo Feed on WordPress.org: grid feeds, multiple accounts, GDPR and local images.
Instagram Pro Basic
$98per year1 site
First year shown at $49 (50% intro offer); renews at full price. Lightbox, layouts, Stories.
Instagram Pro Plus
$198per year5 sites
First year $99. Adds hashtag feeds, moderation, filtering and templates.
Instagram Pro Elite
$298per year10 sites
First year $149. Adds tagged feeds, shoppable feeds, feed themes, priority support.
All Access Bundle
$598per yearUnlimited
First year $299. All Pro feed plugins (Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok, Reviews) plus Social Wall and Feed Analytics.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
1M+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
1.75M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~150K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: WordPress.org shows 1M+ free installs, which could mean anything from 1M to 2M. The vendor says 1.75M+ sites, so we put the free count halfway between the middle of that range and the vendor figure, at about 1.6M. Website scans by WPoptic find the paid plugin (folder instagram-feed-pro) on 69,022 live sites; they find the free version on 711,586 sites against about 1.6M WordPress.org installs, so each site found stands for about 2.3, giving 160K. About 1.6M free installs x 5.6% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid, lower for very large free bases) gives 91K. Combining these (weighted average) gives about 150K. Likely range: 98K to 230K. 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.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
354,304 downloads last week, 54.9M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 6.15.0 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 28 Oct 2026 (5 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 4.1+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 2 of 8 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 23 Jul 2014 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2013 (source, 14 Oct 2026) Instagram feed page states Smash Balloon was founded in 2013. |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 14 Oct 2026) Body text promises a 14-day unconditional refund; some page metadata mentions 30 days. |
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed compared
Elfsight Instagram Feed/Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
Feed Them Social/Smash Balloon Social Photo FeedJuicer/Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed/WP Social Ninja
Flow-Flow Social Feed Stream/Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed/Spotlight Social Feeds
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed/Social Feed Gallery Alternatives to Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
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
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…
62
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 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed free?
Yes. Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $98/yr.
How many sites use Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed?
WordPress.org reports 1M+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 1.75M+ sites in total. We estimate around 150K sites run the paid version.
Does Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed have instagram feeds?
Yes: included. Free plugin displays posts, reels and videos from connected Instagram accounts.
Does Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed have combined social wall?
Yes: paid version (All Access). Social Wall merges Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube; only in the All Access Bundle.
Does Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed have hashtag & tagged feeds?
Yes: paid version (Plus). Hashtag feeds from Plus; tagged-post feeds need Elite.
Does Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed have grid, carousel & masonry layouts?
Yes: partial. Free has a responsive grid with column controls; carousel, masonry and highlight need Pro.
Does Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed have shoppable feeds?
Yes: paid version (Elite). Shoppable posts link each post to a product or custom URL; Elite tier.
Does Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed have gdpr mode?
Yes: included. GDPR setting works with Complianz, CookieYes and others, showing local images until consent.
Is the free Smash Balloon Instagram plugin enough?
For a simple grid of your own posts, yes. It includes multiple accounts, caching, local images and GDPR mode. You need Pro for a lightbox, other layouts, hashtags, moderation or shoppable posts.
Does Smash Balloon show Facebook, YouTube or TikTok feeds?
Yes, but through separate plugins. Each network has its own free WordPress.org plugin and Pro upgrade, and the All Access Bundle includes them all plus the Social Wall.
Which Instagram Pro tier do I need for hashtag feeds?
Hashtag feeds start at the Plus tier (5 sites). Tagged feeds and shoppable posts require Elite.
Are the listed prices what I pay every year?
No. The pricing page shows a 50% first-year discount; renewals are charged at the full list price, for example $98 a year for Basic.
Last updated 13 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.