Sleek Compare vs Before After Image Comparison Block

Quick Comparison

What bPlugins Does Well

bPlugins has put real work into this plugin, and it shows in the feature set:

• Active development - updated March 2026, with regular version increments. The team is responsive and iterating. That's worth a lot in a plugin you're going to depend on
• Rich premium customization - the Pro tier offers multiple visual themes, configurable handler shapes, line styles, and color options that go deeper than what most free plugins provide. If you want a heavily branded slider look, the bPlugins premium options are genuinely nice
• Auto-slide in Pro - the slider can animate automatically on page load, which can be a compelling effect for landing pages
• Gutenberg-native from the start - like Sleek Compare, it's designed around the block editor rather than bolted onto it. The block editing experience is clean
• Shortcode added - version 1.1.15 (February 2026) added shortcode support, improving compatibility with classic editor contexts and widget areas

If you want heavy visual customization in the premium tier and don't need Elementor support, bPlugins is a legitimate option worth evaluating.

Where Sleek Compare Wins

These are the areas where Sleek Compare pulls ahead for most WordPress sites:

• Elementor widget - bPlugins offers no Elementor integration. If any part of your site uses Elementor, you either add a shortcode workaround or go without. Sleek Compare Pro includes a native Elementor widget that works inside Elementor's visual editor
• Mobile performance - multiple reviews of the bPlugins plugin mention lag on iPhone, particularly on iOS Safari. Touch interactions on mobile need to be snappy or users abandon the interaction entirely. Sleek Compare's touch handling is optimized for smooth dragging on mobile devices
• Accessibility - full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance: keyboard navigation with arrow keys, ARIA roles and labels, visible focus indicators, and 48px minimum touch targets. bPlugins' block provides basic mouse and touch interaction but limited keyboard and screen reader support
• No Freemius SDK - bPlugins uses Freemius for premium licensing, which adds SDK overhead to every page load and surfaces upsell prompts inside the admin. One reviewer specifically complained about being prompted to pay for what felt like a security patch. Sleek Compare uses a straightforward license key system with no third-party SDK on the front end
• One-time pricing - the bPlugins Pro tier is subscription-based. Sleek Compare Pro is $29 once. If you're running a site for two or more years, the math favors Sleek Compare
• CSS variable theming - instead of locked visual themes behind a paywall, Sleek Compare exposes CSS custom properties so you can restyle the handle, colors, labels, and dimensions with your own CSS. That works on the free plan too
• Selection highlight bug - reviews mention a blue text selection highlight appearing on drag interactions in the bPlugins block. It's a minor UX annoyance but one that comes up repeatedly. Sleek Compare handles pointer events cleanly without triggering text selection

Who Should Use What

Both plugins are solid Gutenberg-native choices. The decision comes down to your specific needs:

• Choose bPlugins if you want a rich set of visual themes and handler styles in the premium tier, you're Gutenberg-only (no Elementor), and you're comfortable with a subscription pricing model and the Freemius SDK in your admin
• Choose Sleek Compare if you need Elementor support, you want smooth mobile performance without iPhone lag, you want one-time pricing, or you need a plugin without third-party SDK overhead and upsell prompts

This is the closest comparison on this list. Both plugins are actively maintained and genuinely designed for Gutenberg. The gap isn't about one being bad - it's about which tradeoffs fit your project.

Verdict

bPlugins has built a capable Gutenberg block with solid premium customization. But iPhone lag, no Elementor widget, subscription pricing, and Freemius SDK overhead add up to friction that Sleek Compare avoids. For sites that need Elementor support, smoother mobile touch, or a one-time purchase, Sleek Compare is the better fit. For Gutenberg-only sites where visual theme variety is the top priority, bPlugins is worth a look. Either way, both are meaningfully better than the jQuery-based options still floating around the plugin directory.