A post slider pulls your existing blog posts — featured image, title, excerpt — into a scrolling carousel, instead of visitors having to browse your blog archive page by page. It’s a common fixture on homepages and sidebars for surfacing recent or featured content without dedicating a full section to a static list.
This guide covers the three common ways to display posts (slider, grid, and vertical list), and how to set one up.
Post slider vs. post grid — which fits your page?
- Post slider (carousel) — posts scroll horizontally, one or a few visible at a time. Works well in a hero section or a narrow sidebar widget where space is limited.
- Post grid — all posts laid out at once in rows and columns, no scrolling needed to see everything. Better for a dedicated “Latest Posts” or “Featured Articles” page section where you want everything visible immediately.
- Vertical post slider — like a horizontal slider but scrolling top-to-bottom, useful in a tall sidebar column.
Most sites end up using a slider in a hero/homepage spot and a grid further down the page — having one plugin that does both means you’re not managing two separate tools.
What to look for in a WordPress post slider plugin
- Post exclusion and category filtering — the ability to show only specific categories, or exclude certain posts/post types, rather than pulling in everything indiscriminately
- Both slider and grid layouts in one plugin — avoids needing separate plugins for the homepage hero vs. a blog archive section
- AJAX pagination on grids — loading more posts without a full page reload
- Custom post type support — if you use WooCommerce products, portfolio items, or other custom post types, the plugin should be able to pull those in too, not just blog posts
- Native Gutenberg block — for adding sliders/grids without shortcodes
A few options to consider
Smart Post Show (by ShapedPlugin) — a well-established, actively developed option specifically focused on showcasing posts in a carousel, with a visual drag-and-drop builder and a large library of pre-built templates. A strong pick if template variety matters most to you.
Display Post Types — 7,000+ active installs, free, and flexible across post grid, list, and slider formats from one plugin, with filtering by post type, page, or custom post type.
WP Posts Carousel — a simpler, widget-and-shortcode-based option built on the Owl Carousel library, aimed at straightforward recent-posts carousels without a lot of extra configuration.
Post Sliders & Post Grids — covers horizontal slider, vertical slider, and grid layouts in one plugin, with post exclusion, custom post type inclusion/exclusion, and AJAX pagination in grids. The free version covers the core slider and grid layouts; the Pro version adds unlimited sliders and unlimited post grids for sites running multiple sliders across different pages. See the plugin →
How to add a post slider to WordPress
- Install a post slider plugin from Plugins → Add New
- Activate it, then look for its dedicated settings menu in your WordPress admin sidebar
- Create a new slider or grid, and choose which posts to include — by category, post type, or manual selection
- Set exclusions if needed (e.g., exclude a specific category from showing up)
- Add it to a page or widget area using the Gutenberg block, shortcode, or widget provided
- Preview on mobile — confirm the slider swipes smoothly and the grid reflows to a single column rather than squeezing content
Frequently asked questions
Can I show posts from a specific category only? Yes, in a well-built post slider plugin — category filtering is one of the most common features, letting you build a slider for just “News” or just “Tutorials,” for example.
Will this work with WooCommerce products or custom post types? Many post slider plugins support custom post types beyond standard blog posts, but check specifically — some are built only for the default Post type and won’t pull in products or other custom content.
What’s the difference between a post slider and a post grid? A slider scrolls through posts (often one or a few at a time); a grid lays all of them out at once in rows and columns. Sliders suit tight spaces like a homepage hero; grids suit dedicated “latest posts” sections where visitors scan everything at once.
Does a post slider slow down my site? It can, if it loads full post content or every featured image at full resolution upfront. Look for a plugin that uses thumbnail-sized images and lazy loading rather than pulling in full-size media for every slide.
