Our Review of the Elfsight Instagram Feed Plugin

Thinking about adding an Instagram feed to your WordPress site? 

With so many Instagram feed plugins available, choosing the right one can be tough, especially when there aren’t enough honest reviews to guide you.

That’s why we’ve put together this article to share our insights on the Elfsight Instagram Feed widget, so you can decide if it’s the right fit for your site. Elfsight Instagram Feed is a popular Instagram feed design tool that has earned a loyal following over the years, and our goal with this hands-on review was to see if it truly lives up to the hype. 

Our First Impressions of Elfsight Instagram Feed

Elsight’s Instagram Feed takes a different approach to adding Instagram feeds to a WordPress site compared to other popular Instagram feed plugins we have reviewed. Instead of providing a standard plugin for installation, it uses a cloud-based editor that lets users create Instagram widgets without needing to access their WordPress dashboard.

Although unique, we found the setup process to be quick and straightforward. To create a widget, we first needed to register for an Elfsight account, after which we were redirected to the Instagram widget creation dashboard.

The first step was to connect our Instagram business account to generate the widget. The process was seamless, and within a few minutes, our account was connected. There is also an option to create a hashtag feed if needed.

Once our account was linked, we simply navigated through each menu item on the widget creation dashboard to review and customize key elements of our Instagram feed. The preview window made setup easier, as we could see our changes in real time.

Finally, after adjusting all settings, we clicked “Publish” and received the HTML code to embed on our site. Using the Gutenberg HTML block, the widget displayed correctly.

One small thing we noticed during our review is that, although the menu options were limited, such as the lack of advanced filters, we still had to click in and out of various menu items, which was less than ideal for user experience.

Overall, our first impression of the Elfsight Instagram Feed widget is that the setup process is approachable, and it provides a solid option for adding an Instagram feed to your WordPress site. However, it does feel somewhat disconnected from the typical WordPress workflow.

Our Favorite Features of Elfsight Instagram Feed

While reviewing the Elfsight Instagram Feed widget, certain features caught our attention more than others. We highlight some of our top favorites in this section.

Pulls From Public Accounts and Hashtags Without Requiring a Login

One of Elfsight Instagram Feed’s standout features is that it allows users to display feeds from public Instagram accounts without needing to connect the account or generate any access tokens. This makes it convenient to showcase feeds from pages you like beyond just your personal or business page.

Another feature we appreciated was the ability to create hashtag feeds, even on the free plan. All we had to do was enter the hashtag we were interested in, and the feed was generated.

Offers Two Distinct Layout Modes to Suit Different Page Designs

Although we were initially more excited to see more pre-designed Instagram feed layouts, similar to our reaction when reviewing the Elevated Instagram Feed plugin, we still appreciated that two layout modes are available, allowing users to create unique designs for their sites.

The Grid layout organizes feed posts into a configurable column-and-row structure with a “Load More” button for paginated browsing, while the slider layout displays posts in a horizontally scrollable format with arrow navigation.

Settings are also provided to control the space between posts, allowing you to adjust the visual layout to match your site’s unique design.

Turns Your Feed Into a Shoppable Instagram Experience

Elfsight Instagram Feed lets you add custom call-to-action buttons to posts in your feed, helping to guide visitors to landing pages, products, or other resources you want them to check out. It’s a simple way to increase interaction by integrating Instagram into your website.

Another great feature is the inclusion of a popup lightbox that opens a full-size overlay, allowing visitors to engage more closely with the posts in the feed. Videos play inline, and carousel posts cycle through images without redirecting to Instagram to view the content.

Plus, controls are available to toggle the visibility of various post elements, including likes, comments, captions, dates, location, share icon, and the Follow button, across both the default feed view and the popup.

Lets You Match the Widget to Your Site’s Visual Identity

Like many other traditional Instagram feed plugins, Elfsight Instagram Feed also offers styling options for various elements to make customizing your feed to match your site’s visual identity easy.

Twelve predefined color palettes, such as Sky, Dark, Orange, and Nightlife, are built-in to provide an instantly usable styling theme for your feed.

There are also two post styles you can choose to control how your feed posts are displayed. The “Tile” style displays only the image for a clean gallery look, while the “Classic” style preserves the default Instagram post format, including the username, caption, date, and engagement metrics.

What Are The Drawbacks of Elfsight Instagram Feed

Just like every traditional WordPress Instagram feed plugin has its own drawbacks, so does Elfsight Instagram Feed. Some of the most obvious ones to keep in mind before committing to using the Instagram widget creation tool include:

• Lives outside your WordPress dashboard: Managing your Instagram feed through a third-party dashboard can be a real pain, especially if you are a WordPress-native user.
• Caps monthly views, even on paid plans: The view-based pricing model can be a genuine risk, especially for sites with unpredictable traffic. Exceeding limits will temporarily disable the widget, which hurts user experience.
• Only refreshes feed every 48 hours: With such a long cache refresh cycle, your site visitors won’t see updates to your feed in real time.
• Significantly caps the number of widgets users can create: You can only create a maximum of 400 widgets with the highest tier plan. This can be a constraint for agencies or larger businesses that need to create many Instagram feeds. A traditional Instagram feed plugin like Elevated Instagram Feed, on the other hand, offers unlimited feed creation.

Elfsight Instagram Feed Pricing & Support

Elfsight Instagram Feed is essentially a premium-only plugin, as its free version is only useful for testing due to the 200-view cap. To do anything meaningful with the tool, you need to purchase a premium plan. Here’s a breakdown of the available options:

Elfsight provides multiple support channels to users, including email, live chat, a help center, and a community forum. However, live chat is only available to users on higher-tier plans.

How It Compares to Elevated Instagram Feed Plugin

Conclusion

The Elfsight Instagram Feed widget is undeniably useful, but it may not be suitable for every WordPress user. 

It’s best suited for those who manage websites across multiple platforms and want an easy-to-use, no-code Instagram feed setup that works everywhere. Its visual editor and flexible layouts make it simple to create a clean feed in just minutes.

However, if you prefer a fully native WordPress experience and don’t want to switch between platforms, Elevated Instagram Feed is a better option. It keeps everything within your dashboard, allows you to create unlimited feeds without view limits, and provides clear, predictable pricing. 

Common Questions About Elfsight Instagram Feed

What is Elfsight Instagram?

Elfsight Instagram Feed is a cloud-based widget that lets you display Instagram posts on any website by embedding a simple HTML code snippet. It supports public accounts, hashtags, and multiple source combinations, and is managed entirely through Elfsight’s external dashboard rather than your WordPress admin panel.

Is Elfsight Instagram Feed free?

Yes, Elfsight Instagram Feed offers a free plan limited to 200 monthly views and one widget. Paid plans start at $4/month (billed annually) and scale up based on monthly view count, number of widgets, and sources per widget.

Why is my Elfsight Instagram Feed not updating?

Elfsight caches feed content for approximately 48 hours, so new posts won’t appear immediately. If your feed has stopped updating entirely, the most likely cause is an expired access token for a connected Business account. Log in to your Elfsight dashboard and re-authenticate the source to resolve it.

What is the best Instagram Feed plugin for WordPress?

For WordPress users, Elevated Instagram Feed is the stronger option. It installs natively inside your dashboard, creates unlimited feeds, and uses flat annual pricing with no view caps. Elfsight is worth considering if you need a free starting point or manage feeds across multiple website platforms.