Comparing the Best WordPress Image Editors

Editing images inside WordPress? Yes, please! We’re putting four WordPress image editors to the test—so you don’t have to!

Picture this (pun intended): You’re in WordPress, you upload an image, and—uh-oh—you need to resize, crop, or add a quick filter. Do you really want to open Photoshop just for that?

This is where WordPress image editor plugins come in! These handy tools let you tweak, edit, and enhance images without ever leaving your WordPress dashboard. But with so many options, which one’s the best?

In this article, we’ll dive into these four popular WordPress image editors and compare their features, ease of use, and whether they’re worth installing:

• WP Paint
• Image Editor by Pixo
• Palleon
• ScreenGlow

But first, let’s cover the basics…

What Are WordPress Image Editors?

Ever wished you could tweak your images without bouncing between Photoshop and your WordPress dashboard? That’s exactly what WordPress image editors do. These handy plugins let you crop, resize, adjust brightness, and even add filters—all within WordPress itself. 

No need for external software, no extra downloads, just quick, hassle-free edits. Whether you’re a blogger fine-tuning featured images, an eCommerce store owner optimizing product photos, or a site admin making last-minute tweaks, these tools save time and streamline your workflow.

Why Do You Need a WordPress Image Editor?

Because who has time to download, edit, and re-upload images every single time? A WordPress image editor keeps everything streamlined—you can edit your visuals right inside your dashboard without the extra steps. 

But it’s not just about convenience. These tools help you optimize images for faster load times, keeping your site speed (and Google rankings) in top shape. 

Need to maintain a consistent brand look? Easily add watermarks, text overlays, or filters without leaving WordPress. The result? A smoother workflow, better performance, and an SEO-friendly site—all with minimal effort.

What to Look for in a WordPress Image Editor

Not all WordPress image editors are created equal, so choosing the right one comes down to a few key factors. 

First, ease of use—because an image editor should simplify your workflow, not add frustration. 

Next, check the editing features. Can it handle cropping, resizing, filters, and layers? If not, you might outgrow it fast. 

Also, consider performance impact—a plugin that slows down your site isn’t worth it. Integration matters too; the best editors work seamlessly with your theme and other plugins. 

And, of course, there’s pricing. Free options can be great, but sometimes premium features are worth the investment if they save you time and boost efficiency.

WordPress Image Editors: Watch Out For…

Not all WordPress image editors are smooth operators—some come with baggage. 

Clunky interfaces can make editing feel like you’re trapped in 2005, clicking through endless menus just to crop an image. 

Then there’s the issue of limited features—free versions often tease powerful tools but lock them behind a paywall. 

And let’s not forget performance drain. A bloated plugin can tank your site speed, frustrating both you and your visitors. 

Lastly, compatibility issues can be a dealbreaker. If an editor doesn’t play nice with your theme or page builder, you’ll be left troubleshooting instead of creating. Choose wisely!

Plugin Showdown: WP Paint vs. Pixo vs. Palleon vs. Screenglow

Now that we know what makes a great WordPress image editor, it’s time for the ultimate face-off. Each of the plugins listed below has its strengths.

Which one fits your needs best? Let’s break them down.

WP Paint

[Editor’s Note: While this plugin is listed as outdated in the WordPress Plugin Directory and no longer supported by the developers, we tested it in early 2025 and found it to be functional.]

WP Paint is an HTML5-based image editing plugin that expands on the core WordPress image editor, offering you more editing features like:

• Image Effects
• Revisions
• Gradient Tool
• Tools Panel
• Clone Tool
• Color Corrections
• Watermark
• Layers
• Lossless Photo Manipulation

You can also add shapes and text on top of images.

Using WP Paint

After installing and activating WP Paint, navigate to your media library and click on an image. This opens the usual image window. In addition to the standard WordPress Edit Image button, you’ll notice a new button next to it: Edit Image using WP Paint. This will open the image in an editing window.

Similarly to an image editor such as Photoshop, you’ll see a tools panel on the left, plus a preview window and layers panel on the right. The first thing I tested was adding some text over my image. Using the eyedropper tool, I picked up a color from my image for the type. I then wrote some text using the text tool and styled it in the pop-up window.

The interface is relatively intuitive, and being familiar with most image editors, I didn’t have any trouble recognizing the various tool icons. One slight annoyance I noticed is that the pop-up windows partially hide the image, and there’s no way to move them.

The layers are movable, so you can easily place objects in front or behind one another.

After saving an image I had edited, I was relieved to learn that I could restore it to the original — even after exiting the editor. One thing that would be helpful is a “Save as” feature to allow for multiple versions of an image in the media library.

WP Paint Pricing

WP Paint is free to install and use. 

Note: This plugin is no longer supported, and the Pro version is no longer available. While it was once a great tool, we recommend exploring the alternative options listed below. Use at your own discretion.

Image Editor by Pixo

Image Editor by Pixo is an advanced, cloud-based image editor that integrates effortlessly with WordPress. 

Unlike standard image editing plugins, Pixo operates as a cross-platform, API-powered solution, offering a robust set of tools without requiring any downloads or hosting.

One of Pixo’s biggest strengths is its flexibility—it offers a better image editor than the built-in media library provides, while also working across different websites and applications. 

Since it’s an online service, you benefit from automatic updates with new features and fixes, ensuring you’ll always have access to the latest improvements. Pixo also offers white-label support, meaning you can fully customize the editor to fit your branding.

Additionally, developers and SaaS businesses can integrate Pixo’s API into their platforms for an enhanced user experience.

Pixo Features That Stand Out

Pixo comes packed with an extensive image editing toolkit, covering both basic and advanced adjustments. You can crop, rotate, resize, and apply pre-defined filters, but it also goes further with background removal, color correction, and image upscaling. 

If you’re handling multiple images, Pixo’s batch editing feature allows for quick modifications across several files at once.

Pixo includes custom templates, shape overlays, frames, stickers, and even freehand drawing tools, making it an excellent option for producing social media graphics, website assets, or marketing materials.

Free vs. Premium – What’s the Difference?

Pixo provides a free plan that allows up to 100 saved images per month, which is ideal for casual users. However, if you need more editing power, you can opt for premium plans:

• Small Plan: $7/month (billed annually) – Includes 1000 saved images per month and premium API support.
• Medium Plan: $14/month (billed annually) – Supports 2500 saved images per month.
• Custom Plans Available – For businesses needing higher or unlimited quotas, Pixo offers tailored solutions upon request.

A 30-day free trial lets you explore all premium features before committing.

Why Choose Pixo?

Pixo provides a user-friendly interface, powerful editing features, and seamless WordPress integration. It is an excellent choice if you frequently edit images for website use.

Palleon Image Editor

Palleon provides a powerful yet lightweight image editing solution that integrates with WordPress. It operates in its own dedicated area inside WordPress, ensuring high compatibility with other plugins and themes. 

What sets Palleon apart is its modern, performance-focused structure. Unlike bulky image editors that slow down your site, Palleon leverages Ajax and lazy loading to keep things running fast. It also integrates directly with the WordPress media library, making it incredibly easy to import and edit images without leaving your dashboard.

Palleon is packed with features, from 90+ image filters and advanced layering tools to stock image integrations and social media templates. Its monetization capabilities even allow membership site owners to restrict access to premium features, turning Palleon into a revenue-generating tool.

Palleon Features That Stand Out

Palleon offers an all-in-one suite of image editing capabilities:

• Advanced Image Editing – Crop, rotate, resize, and enhance images with over 90 filters and customizable effects.
• Text & Design Elements – Add and style text with Google Fonts support, apply photo frames, and use 130+ customizable SVG shapes.
• Icons & Illustrations – Access 200,000+ royalty-free icons via Iconfinder and 1,200+ editable illustrations to enhance your designs.
• Stock Image Integration – Browse millions of free stock images from Pexels and Pixabay without leaving WordPress.
• Template Library – Use ready-made templates for collages, banner ads, and social media posts, or create and save your own.
• File Export & Sharing – Save or download images in PNG, JPG, SVG, WEBP, TIFF, or JSON, and even add watermarks automatically.
• Customization & Theming – Switch between light and dark mode, upload custom fonts, and tweak the UI using custom CSS.

If you’re looking to expand functionality, Palleon supports AI image generation (Antimena add-on), Elementor widgets (Calumma add-on), image hosting (Furcifer add-on), and community features (Trioceros add-on).

Free vs. Premium – What’s Included?

Palleon offers simple, transparent pricing plans backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee:

Basic Plan

This plan includes the Palleon Image Editor Plugin, along with regular updates and support to keep your site running smoothly.

• Single Site: $19.99/year or Lifetime for $59.99
• Unlimited Sites: $59.99/year or Lifetime for $179.99

Professional Plan

This plan builds on the Basic Plan by adding powerful tools like the AI Image Generator, community-driven add-ons, and seamless Elementor integration. Plus, you’ll get access to future add-ons.

• Single Site: $29.99/year or Lifetime for $89.99
• Unlimited Sites: $89.99/year or Lifetime for $269.99

Ecommerce Plan

Designed for online businesses and WooCommerce users, this plan includes everything in the Professional Plan, plus tools specifically for product customization and print shop functionality.

• Single Site: $39.99/year or Lifetime for $119.99
• Unlimited Sites: $119.99/year or Lifetime for $359.99

Why Choose Palleon?

With fast performance, extensive customization options, and monetization features, Palleon Image Editor is a top-tier choice if you need an all-in-one, high-performance image editor that works flawlessly inside WordPress.

ScreenGlow Image Editor

ScreenGlow isn’t just another image editor—it’s designed specifically to streamline workflow and enhance visual storytelling. Instead of jumping between different tools, you can capture, edit, style, and annotate images, enhance screenshots, and create mockups without leaving your WordPress dashboard.

This lightweight yet powerful plugin eliminates the need for external tools like Photoshop or Canva. A standout feature is its screenshot integration—simply paste screenshots directly into your media library using Ctrl/Cmd+V. From there, you can add mockups, backgrounds, annotations, and stylish effects with just a few clicks. 

Checkout the plugin’s video demo below:

ScreenGlow: WordPress Image Editor – Beautify, Mockup, Annotate, and Edit Images and Screenshots

ScreenGlow Features That Stand Out

ScreenGlow is packed with features designed to enhance and stylize images quickly:

• Instant Screenshot Uploads – Paste screenshots directly into the WordPress media library for instant editing.
• Mockup Creation – Transform plain images into polished mockups with customizable browser-style frames.
• Background Styling – Add solid colors, gradients, or patterns to elevate your visuals.
• Advanced Image Styling – Apply filters, rounded corners, drop shadows, contrast & saturation adjustments, and grayscale effects.
• Annotations & Markups – Highlight important details with arrows, text, and shapes to make tutorials and guides more engaging.
• File Format Flexibility – Import and export images in PNG, JPEG, WebP, AVIF, and SVG.
• Performance Optimized – Built to be lightweight and fast, ensuring smooth image editing without slowing down your site.
• Seamless Integrations – The plugin integrates seamlessly with Elementor, Gutenberg, and the Classic Editor.

Free vs. Premium – What’s Included?

ScreenGlow offers a free version with essential editing tools, while the premium version comes  with a 14-day money-back guarantee and unlocks advanced features, including:

• Save and reuse custom presets for consistent designs.
• More frames & cropping tools for precise editing.
• Role-based access management for team collaboration.
• Lifetime updates and priority support for premium users.

Pricing Options:

• 1 Site License: $29.99/year or $89.99 one-time purchase
• 3 Sites License: $49.99/year or $149.99 one-time purchase
• 10 Sites License: $129.99/year or $349.99 one-time purchase

Why Choose ScreenGlow?

ScreenGlow is an ideal choice for quickly editing screenshots and images for tutorials, landing pages, social media, portfolios, and educational content with screenshot pasting, mockup tools, and easy-to-use annotation features.

How Do These WordPress Image Editors Compare?

Choosing the right WordPress image editor depends on what you need—quick edits, full design capabilities, or seamless integration with your site. 

To help you decide, we’ve broken down how the plugins stack up against key factors like ease of use, editing features, performance impact, integration, and pricing.

Key Takeaways:

• Best for Beginners: Pixo and ScreenGlow for their simplicity.
• Power Users & Businesses: Palleon for advanced features and WooCommerce integration.
• Budget Pick: Pixo (affordable premium plans).
• Best for Tutorials & Presentations: ScreenGlow for mockup editing.
• Avoid: WP Paint due to outdated support.

Final Verdict – Which WordPress Image Editor Plugin Is Best for You?

Our Recommendation

Each of these plugins brings something unique to the table, but if you’re looking for a future-proof image editing solution for WordPress with strong support and updates, Pixo, Palleon, and ScreenGlow are all clear winners.