Whether you want to show off customer testimonials, your latest blog posts, your best images, or just celebrate the members of your team, there is a WordPress slider or carousel plugin out there that’s right for you.
But before we share the 8 hottest in the Envato Market this year, maybe we should clarify the difference (or the lack thereof) between a slider and a carousel plugin. Some say that there’s little difference between the two because they both do a variation of the same thing: display a number of images in a slideshow format while offering some controls like previous/next arrows, thumbnail navigation, and sometimes transition effects between the slides.
Others insist that though this may be true, the important distinction between the two is that a slider slides the images horizontally or vertically while a carousel rotates the images on an axis with the image always facing the viewer. While the jury is still out which camp is right, for the purpose of this article we’ll treat the two terms as interchangeable and get on with the business of revealing the 8 Best Slider & Carousel Plugins of 2018 on CodeCanyon.
The Foxy product image slider is foxy. It’s easy to use, quick, and looks great—the perfect slider to display WooCommerce products.
Features include:
- over 150 different options
- fully responsive
- preview mode
- 8 templates
- and more
If you’re looking for a product image slider for WooCommerce, look no further; the Foxy – WooCommerce Product Image Gallery Slider Carousel has got everything you’ll ever want.
Visual Composer users will want to seriously consider the WP Slick Slider plugin. With almost 100 predefined layouts, you’ll find what you’re looking for without having to design or code anything.
Features include:
- fully responsive and swipe enabled
- desktop mouse dragging and infinite looping
- powerful shortcode generator tool
Some of the design styles include:
- variable width
- and center mode
The WP Slick Slider and Image Carousel Pro is an option you’ll want to take seriously—especially for Visual Composer users.
There’s no wonder why Master Slider is a perennial favourite on CodeCanyon. The Responsive Touch Slider offers over 70 templates which are highly customizable and as easy to use as 1, 2, 3.
What I like the most with this plugin is the ability to insert or embed HTML formatted text, links, images or video directly into each slide and then independently animate each layer.
Other great features include:
- drag-and-drop visual builder
- easy to display image gallery as slider
- touch swipe navigation
- ability to load and display galleries from services like Flickr and WooCommerce
- and more
With over 70 customisable options to choose from, Master Slider has a wide cross-user appeal.
Slider Pro, a top three seller at CodeCanyon, provides a clean and intuitive user interface in the admin area and a smooth navigation experience for the end users.
Slider Pro avoids unnecessary fanciness, which many times is an obstacle for end users in getting the information they need, and instead focuses on simplicity and performance, while still providing a wide range of customization possibilities.
My favourite feature is the deep linking feature where each slide change will update the URL in the browser’s navigation bar with the appropriate URL hash.
Other great features include:
- optimised image loading
- easy customisation
- smooth animations
- multiple layouts
- and more
Slider Pro, as the name suggests, is the professional solution you need.
The single most downloaded slider at CodeCanyon, Royal Slider for WordPress is packed with irresistible features. Used by companies as diverse as Coca Cola, Ralph Lauren and Land Rover, this plugin does just about everything you could possibly want from a slider.
The most appealing feature is the full-screen feature with native HTML5 fullscreen support. Perfect for showing high-resolution photography.
Other great features include:
- multiple sliders per page are allowed, even with different skins
- touch swipe navigation support
- responsive design
- vertical or horizontal thumbnails, bullets or tabs for navigation
- and more
RoyalSlider will definitely wow your visitors with its clean and professional functionality.
The Logos Showcase plugin is specifically targeted for users who want to create a grid of images with external or internal links or need to display a list of clients’ or sponsors’ logos.
The standout feature with Logos Showcase is the ability to display logos in a grayscale version with the option to display with original colors by hovering if desired.
Other great features include:
- choice of three different ways to display images
- control of transition speed and auto scroll is enabled
- control of default size of logo images
- option to set URLs to each logo which can open on the same page or in a new page
- and more
Logos Showcase is the slider to choose if your priority is to display logos and lists most effectively.
All Around, as the name suggests, is a really well-rounded slider. It gives you a clean, responsive design, a number of pre-defined styling options, and support for swipe gestures.
It even supports video!
“All Around WordPress content slider is a multi-purpose all-in-one slider solution for your website.”
Features include:
- fully responsive
- 6 premade styles
- supports videos
- vertical or horizontal
- supports multiple sliders on one page
- auto-play mode
- and more
The All Around slide isn’t all-around by name only.
If this is your first WordPress slider and carousel plugin, it just might also be the last one you’ll ever need.
Ultra Portfolio will primarily appeal to users who are interested in building portfolios with slider features included. It offers a large number of layout options and really delivers on flexibility and functionality.
The most appealing feature with this slider is the ability to control animation effects and animation speed.
Other great features include:
- unlimited layouts
- WooCommerce integration
- Google Font integration
- ability to control the number of columns for various screen resolutions and widths. (2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 columns)
- and more
Ultra Portfolio should be your choice if you want to combine slider functions with a wide range of portfolio options.
Conclusion
This just a very small selection from the products available in the Envato Marketplace. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, why not look at what else is available?
Looking for a free WordPress theme to get started fast? We have some great ones for you to choose from!
Furthermore, if you’re interested in getting more into WordPress development, don’t hesitate to review the many tutorials we have available.
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