Table of contents
Checked on October 14, 2026. Prices, ratings and install counts change, so check the vendor's page before you buy. We make SnapWidget, one of the tools on this list.
An Instagram feed on a WordPress site comes from one of two kinds of tools:
- A plugin runs inside WordPress. You install it, connect Instagram in the WordPress dashboard, and keep it updated with your other plugins.
- A hosted widget runs on the vendor's servers. You build the feed on the vendor's site and paste a code or a shortcode into WordPress. Most free hosted plans limit how many times the feed can load each month.
We compared 9 tools of both kinds. The numbers come from the WordPress.org plugin directory and from each vendor's pricing page.
Quick picks
- Most installed plugin: Smash Balloon Instagram Feed, with more than 1 million active installs.
- No plugin and no view limit on the free plan: SnapWidget.
- Free plugin with a lightbox: Spotlight Social Feeds.
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube in one plugin: Feed Them Social.
- Hosted social walls with many networks: Juicer, Tagembed, EmbedSocial and Elfsight.
Two things to know first
WordPress has no Instagram block. WordPress 5.5.2 (October 2020) removed Instagram as an automatic embed source, so a pasted Instagram link stays a plain link. Every tool below adds the feed back.
You need a professional Instagram account. Meta ended the Instagram Basic Display API, which personal accounts used, on December 4, 2024. Smash Balloon, Spotlight and Feed Them Social all tell users to switch to a Business or Creator account. The switch is free in the Instagram app.
1. Smash Balloon Instagram Feed
The most used Instagram plugin in the WordPress.org directory.
- Type: plugin. It connects to smashballoon.com to connect your account, and to Instagram to get your posts.
- WordPress.org: 1+ million active installs, 4.9 stars from 4,355 ratings, last updated September 29, 2026.
- Free version: yes. Several accounts, as many feeds as you want, a block and a sidebar widget, "Load More" and "Follow" buttons.
- Lowest paid plan: Basic, $49 a year for 1 site. This is an introductory price, and renewals are at the full price of $98. Basic adds a lightbox, carousels, Stories and the masonry and highlight layouts.
- Hashtag feeds: from the Plus plan, $99 a year for 5 sites.
2. Spotlight Social Feeds
- Type: plugin. Its pricing page says it saves the media on your own website.
- WordPress.org: 60,000+ active installs, 4.7 stars from 171 ratings, last updated October 7, 2026.
- Free version: yes. Unlimited accounts and feeds, photos, videos and reels, a popup lightbox, and a block, shortcode or widget.
- Lowest paid plan: Essentials, $59 USD a year for 1 site. It adds the grid, highlight, masonry and slider templates, Stories, captions, likes and comments.
- Hashtag feeds: in the PRO plan, $99 USD a year for 1 site.
3. Social Feed Gallery by QuadLayers
- Type: plugin. It caches your posts for 6 hours.
- WordPress.org: 80,000+ active installs, 4.5 stars from 303 ratings, last updated October 5, 2026.
- Free version: yes. One Instagram account, with the gallery and carousel layouts.
- Lowest paid plan: Personal, $49 a year or $99 once (lifetime) for 1 site. It adds the masonry and highlight layouts, a "Load More" button, color options and more accounts.
4. Feed Them Social
- Type: plugin, for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
- WordPress.org: 20,000+ active installs, 4.7 stars from 639 ratings, last updated September 5, 2026.
- Free version: yes. As many feeds as you want, on any post, page or sidebar.
- Lowest paid plan: Premium, $50 a year for 1 site. It adds Instagram hashtag feeds, a popup for larger photos and videos, and a "Load More" button.
5. SnapWidget
Our own tool. SnapWidget is a widget, not a plugin. More than 200,000 websites use it.
- Type: hosted widget. You make the widget on snapwidget.com, copy the embed code, and paste it into a Custom HTML block. Nothing is installed in WordPress.
- Free version: yes. Instagram and Facebook widgets in the grid, board, slideshow and scrolling layouts, plus a popup layout for Instagram. No view limit. The widget loads new posts every 15 minutes. Photos in a free widget open a SnapWidget page.
- Lowest paid plan: Lite, $8 a month for 1 Pro widget. Pro is $14 a month for 20 widgets. Paid widgets add the feed layout, photos that link to Instagram, a lightbox, and new posts every 5 minutes. Every paid plan has a 14-day free trial.
- Hashtag feeds: on the Pro and Developer plans.
- Also: the same widget works on sites that do not use WordPress.
Step-by-step instructions are in our WordPress Instagram widget guide.
6. Elfsight Instagram Feed
- Type: hosted widget. You need an Elfsight account. In WordPress, you paste the code or use the "Elfsight Blocks" plugin (3,000+ active installs).
- Free plan: yes, 1 widget and 200 views a month, with Elfsight branding. Elfsight counts a view each time the widget loads. Its pricing page says the widget is turned off for a time when you pass the monthly limit.
- Lowest paid plan: Basic, $5 a month billed yearly. It allows 3 widgets and 5,000 views a month, with no branding.
- Hashtag feeds: on all plans.
7. Tagembed
- Type: hosted widget. You build the widget in your Tagembed account and paste a shortcode into WordPress.
- WordPress.org: 9,000+ active installs, 3.9 stars from 62 ratings, last updated October 6, 2026.
- Free plan: yes, 1 feed and 500 views a month, with Tagembed branding.
- Lowest paid plan: Starter, $19 a month. It allows 2 feeds and 10,000 views a month, with updates every 2 hours and no branding.
8. EmbedSocial
- Type: hosted widget. You create an account on embedsocial.com and embed the code it gives you.
- WordPress.org: 4,000+ active installs, 4.2 stars from 5 ratings, last updated June 23, 2025.
- Free plan: yes, 1 source and 500 views a month. The feed updates every 24 hours.
- Lowest paid plan: Pro, $29 a month, or $24 a month billed yearly. It allows 3 sources and 5,000 views a month, with updates every 3 hours.
- Hashtag feeds: from the Pro Plus plan, $49 a month, or $40 a month billed yearly.
9. Juicer
- Type: hosted widget, for social walls that mix many networks. You need an account on Juicer.
- WordPress.org: 8,000+ active installs, 4.2 stars from 29 ratings, last updated September 10, 2026.
- Free plan: yes, 1 source and 300 feed views a month, with Juicer branding. The feed refreshes every 24 hours.
- Lowest paid plan: Lite, $15 a month, or $13.50 a month paid yearly. It allows 3 sources and 5,000 feed views a month, with a 60-minute refresh and no branding.
- Hashtag feeds: on paid plans. The free plan has a 7-day trial of hashtag sources.
A plugin we left out
10Web Social has 10,000+ active installs, but WordPress.org shows that it was last updated on February 9, 2023. The directory says it "hasn't been tested with the latest 3 major releases of WordPress".
How to choose
- You want everything inside WordPress: pick a plugin. Smash Balloon has the most users. Spotlight and QuadLayers are smaller, with free versions and paid plans from $49 to $59 a year.
- You do not want another plugin: pick a hosted widget. Check the monthly view limit of the free plan. SnapWidget's free widgets have no view limit. The free plans of Elfsight, Juicer, Tagembed and EmbedSocial allow 200 to 500 views a month.
- You need hashtag feeds: most tools here put them on a paid plan. Smash Balloon has them from $99 a year, Spotlight from $99 a year, and SnapWidget from $14 a month. Elfsight has them on all plans.
- You use WordPress.com: plugins and custom code (iframe and script) need a paid plan with hosting features activated. The free WordPress.com plan cannot use either.
Frequently asked questions
Does WordPress have a built-in Instagram feed block?
No. WordPress removed Instagram as an embed source in version 5.5.2 in October 2020. To show your feed, use a plugin or paste a widget code into a Custom HTML block.
What is the best free Instagram feed plugin for WordPress?
Smash Balloon Instagram Feed has the most active installs (1+ million) and a 4.9-star rating. If you do not want a plugin, SnapWidget's free widget has no view limit and needs only a Custom HTML block.
Do Instagram feed plugins work with a personal Instagram account?
Not for feeds from the Instagram API. Meta ended the API for personal accounts on December 4, 2024. Switch to a free Business or Creator account in the Instagram app.
Can I add an Instagram feed without a plugin?
Yes. Make a widget on a hosted service such as SnapWidget, copy the embed code, and paste it into a Custom HTML block in the block editor. On a single WordPress site, only users with the Administrator or Editor role can save iframe and script code.
Do these tools work on WordPress.com?
Yes, on a paid plan. WordPress.com allows plugins on all paid plans, and custom code after you activate hosting features. The free plan does not allow plugins or iframe and script code.
