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6 Best WordPress Watermark Plugins to Make Your Mark
Last updated on Sep 9, 2024 by Southie Williamson Reader Disclosure
Protecting your work online is essential, and one of the easiest ways to do so is by adding a watermark to your images in WordPress. A watermark not only deters theft but also reinforces your brand identity. As photographers and content creators, we’ve tried numerous WordPress watermark plugins to safeguard our work over the years.
To help you make the right choice, we’ve tested and reviewed some of the top watermark plugins for WordPress. Whether you’re looking for a simple tool to watermark pictures online or advanced plugins offering full customization, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’ll share everything we’ve learned so you can find the perfect plugin to secure your work and reinforce your brand online. Let’s dive in!
The Best Watermark Plugins for WordPress
1. Envira Gallery
Envira Gallery isn’t just the best WordPress gallery plugin. With over 3 million downloads, it’s also a comprehensive solution for protecting your images with customizable watermarks.
Envira’s watermarking feature operates on a per-gallery basis, meaning you can apply different watermarks to different images by adding them to the specific gallery where the desired watermark is enabled. This flexibility allows for tailored watermarking across multiple galleries.
The plugin allows you to apply image or text watermarks to your photos with full control over the size, position, and margin. For text watermarks, simply enter your custom text and choose a font, color, and opacity level.
Want to create a watermark that looks like a signature? Try Great Vibes, Yellowtail, or Alex Brush, which are 3 of our favorite watermark fonts in the builder.
Envira Gallery also provides options to rotate or repeat the watermark across the image for better coverage.
The plugin offers a Keep Original Images option. When enabled, Envira Gallery automatically generates a copy of each image before applying watermarks. Watermarked images will appear in your media library alongside the original versions, making it easy to reuse them across your WordPress site or display watermark-free photos in areas like membership sites or behind a paywall.
Beyond watermarking, Envira Gallery offers a wide array of key features, including:
- Multiple layouts such as slideshow, fullscreen, masonry, and lightbox display
- Video galleries
- WooCommerce integration and downloadable gallery images
- Right-click download protection and password-protected galleries
- Image optimization features like built-in compression and deep linking for SEO
- Tags to organize media and create filterable galleries
- Photo albums to manage and showcase multiple galleries on a single page
- Social sharing buttons on images, galleries, and albums
- Dynamic galleries displaying content from blog posts, testimonials, Instagram, and other sources
- Professional photography tools, including client proofing and Adobe Lightroom integration
- And more…
Envira Gallery’s robust watermarking and image protection features, along with WooCommerce integration and numerous other advanced functionalities, make it the top choice for anyone looking for the best watermark plugin for WordPress.
Pricing: You’ll need the Plus plan or above for watermarking, which starts at $69.50 / year.
2. Image Watermark
Image Watermark is a straightforward and reliable plugin that automatically adds watermarks to images as you upload them to your WordPress media library.
There are a few different ways you can use the plugin. The first option is Automatic, meaning watermarks are applied the moment a new image is uploaded, or you can customize it by post type. For example, you could add watermarks to images uploaded on blog posts but not on pages. The other option is Manual, which allows you to select and bulk watermark WordPress images that are already in your media library.
Our Experience
As soon as I installed the plugin, I found it easy to navigate and configure. I set up the plugin to automatically watermark images in WordPress upon upload, which is a huge time-saver. After uploading several high-resolution photos, the plugin applied watermarks without any noticeable reduction in image quality—a common issue with some other plugins.
Customizing the watermark’s position, offset, opacity, and size (original, custom, or scaled) was particularly helpful, ensuring the watermark doesn’t detract from the overall image aesthetic. We also liked the ability to disable right-click on images and backup original images.
While the plugin excels in its core functionality, it’s limited compared to more robust gallery solutions. For example, there’s no way to create your watermark with text (you must use an uploaded image), and you can’t use different watermarks on specific photos or post types.
Who It’s Best For
Image Watermark is a simple plugin ideal for those looking to protect their visual content without needing advanced customization. It’s great for beginners, with an easy-to-use interface and basic functionality that works well for personal projects or smaller websites. However, you may want to explore other options if you need more design control or advanced features.
Pricing: Free.
3. FooGallery
FooGallery is a versatile and popular all-in-one gallery plugin designed for photographers, artists, and eCommerce store owners. The plugin offers up to 11 responsive gallery layouts, and the PRO plans add advanced features like configurable lightboxes, WooCommerce integration, and watermarking.
The watermarking feature is exclusive to the PRO Commerce plan, where you can protect full-size images with custom watermarks and prevent image theft using right-click protection.
Our Experience
Setting up FooGallery was straightforward, and the gallery-building options were extensive. With the PRO Commerce version, I had access to various gallery layouts and 2 watermarking options: a pre-designed watermark or a custom image, such as a logo.
I opted for a custom watermark and appreciated the ability to size and position it to my liking. The flexibility to repeat the watermark across the image was a nice touch. However, there’s no built-in option to create text-based watermarks.
Like Envira Gallery, FooGallery applies watermarks at the gallery level so that you can protect an entire gallery in one go. One unique aspect of FooGallery’s watermarking feature is that it only applies to full-size images when viewed in the lightbox, which helps preserve the gallery’s aesthetics for visitors.
Who It’s Best For
FooGallery is a great option for those who want an advanced gallery solution for watermarking and eCommerce. However, if watermarking is your primary concern, the PRO Commerce plan could be overkill, especially considering the higher price tag.
Pricing: The PRO Commerce plan is $99.99 / year.
4. Modula
Modula is a user-friendly WordPress gallery plugin that makes it easy to create stylish, customizable galleries with minimal effort. It’s especially popular among beginners and creatives for its flexibility and ease of use.
Modula offers multiple gallery styles, including grid, masonry, and custom layouts, with watermarking available in the premium Business plan. This feature lets you add custom watermarks to your gallery images to deter unauthorized use.
Our Experience
Installing Modula image gallery was a breeze, and the interface felt intuitive from the start. Creating a custom gallery was quick, thanks to the drag-and-drop builder. The plugin’s customization options allowed me to tweak the layout easily.
I uploaded a custom watermark image, which applied to the entire gallery. Like FooGallery, Modula provides key features to adjust the watermark’s size, opacity, and position but lacks a built-in feature for creating text watermarks.
Who It’s Best For
Modula is an excellent choice for users who want a simple, visually appealing gallery plugin with integrated watermarking options. It’s particularly well-suited for beginners and non-technical users who prioritize ease of use. That said, it rings in at a higher price since watermarking is only available in the Business plan, which may be more than you need.
Pricing: The Business plan is $99 / year.
5. Product Watermark for WooCommerce
Product Watermark for WooCommerce is a specialized plugin designed to protect product images in WooCommerce stores by adding custom watermarks. It’s an easy watermark solution for online store owners looking to prevent unauthorized use of their product images.
In the free version, you can add a watermark to all WooCommerce product images and customize their position. Features include transparency support for watermarks and an option to apply custom CSS to your front-end pages for further styling.
The paid version unlocks additional features such as custom watermark size, text-based watermarks, and up to 5 watermarks with the ability to use different watermarks for various image types.
Our Experience
I tested the free version, which allowed me to add product image watermarks and adjust the position. Setup was quick, and the interface was intuitive, making it easy to get started.
During testing, I found the free features sufficient for basic protection. However, you’ll need to upgrade if you need more control over watermark design or want to apply different watermarks to specific image types.
Who It’s Best For
Product Watermark for WooCommerce is a solid option for WooCommerce store owners looking for a simple, effective way to watermark their product images. That said, it’s a niche product that doesn’t offer the key features seen in full-scale gallery plugins.
Pricing: Free (premium plans available).
6. WaterMark PDF for WooCommerce
WaterMark PDF for WooCommerce helps WooCommerce store owners protect their downloadable PDFs by adding a unique watermark each time a user downloads your WordPress files.
The watermark includes dynamic customer information, such as the buyer’s first name, last name, email address, and order date, which is applied to every page of the purchased PDF. The plugin is extremely useful for WordPress websites that sell digital products like eBooks, reports, and manuals, where protecting intellectual property is critical.
With the free version, you can watermark specific PDFs or all PDFs downloaded from your site. The watermark can be customized in terms of placement, making it adaptable for different paper sizes such as letter, A4, and legal.
Our Experience
As promised, the plugin allowed me to apply watermarks to PDF downloads, and the setup process was easy enough. The plugin integrated well with WooCommerce and automatically watermarked PDFs when downloaded.
I found it very helpful that the watermarking function works regardless of whether customers download via order confirmation links, email confirmations, or on their account page. The design customization, along with the dynamic customer data, adds a personalized layer of protection that discourages unauthorized sharing and looks professional.
However, the free version has some limitations. For example, there’s no option to select specific pages or add more advanced controls like password protection, which are only available in the premium version.
Who It’s Best For
WaterMark PDF for WooCommerce is an excellent choice for WooCommerce store owners who need essential protection for their downloadable content. The free version should meet your needs if you’re looking for a simple, no-frills way to watermark your PDFs with dynamic customer data.
Pricing: Free (premium plans available).
That’s it!
Watermarking your pictures online is essential for protecting your photos and reinforcing your brand. We hope this article helped you find the perfect WordPress watermark plugin for your website.
Check out these articles if you want to learn:
Each plugin on this list offers unique features to suit different needs, whether you’re looking for simple watermarking or advanced customization options. For those seeking an all-in-one solution with ultimate watermark and gallery capabilities, Envira Gallery stands out as the top choice.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out tutorial on How to Create a WordPress Image Gallery with Pagination.
Not using Envira Gallery? Get started today!
How do you go about adding watermarks to images? Sound off in the comments below. Don’t forget to check out our blog and follow us on X (Twitter) for the best photography tips, resources, and WordPress tutorials.
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