WooCommerce quick view: best plugins & setup guide (2026)

Looking for quick view popups or product lightboxes? Learn everything you need to know about WooCommerce quick view plugins, how to use them, and how to choose the best one for your store.

Most major ecommerce stores outside of the WordPress space have some sort of quick view functionality on their shop pages. WooCommerce does not include native quick view functionality. Instead, shoppers have to visit a separate page to learn about and buy each product.

The solution is to use the best WooCommerce quick view plugins to add something like this to your store. These plugins provide quick view buttons, modal windows, and AJAX add-to-cart functionality that work with any WooCommerce theme.

In this article, I'll start by looking at the benefits of a WooCommerce quick view plugin and how it can help different types of ecommerce store.

Then, I'll show you how to use the WooCommerce Quick View Pro plugin to add quick view buttons and lightboxes to your shop pages.

Let's get started!

What are WooCommerce quick view plugins?

A WooCommerce quick view plugin displays product details in a modal window or lightbox that opens directly on shop and category pages. Customers trigger the quick view popup by clicking a button, product image, or product name without requiring page navigation. WooCommerce does not include native quick view functionality, requiring third-party plugins to add this feature to online stores.

Overall, product quick views are a popular tactic used by 48% of the top 50 US ecommerce sites, according to the Baymard Institute.

Why use quick view?

Adding quick view functionality to your WooCommerce store provides several key benefits:

What information does quick view display?

A custom quick view WooCommerce plugin usually displays information like:

• Full product gallery.
• Short product description.
• Product variations and attributes.
• Quantity picker and add to cart button.
• Extra product information such as reviews, price, categories, tags, and SKU.

How customers trigger quick view

Quick view can be triggered through three common methods depending on plugin configuration.

Hover activation: Quick view opens automatically when cursor hovers over product image or information without clicking.

Button click: Dedicated quick view button appears on product listing requiring explicit customer click to trigger popup.

Image or title click: Product image or title opens quick view instead of navigating to individual product page.

Button click implementation shows higher customer engagement than hover activation, making it the preferred trigger method for most stores.

What types of store can benefit from WooCommerce quick view plugins?

WooCommerce quick view plugins are the perfect way to present additional information without taking up more space or sending users to a separate product page. Because the information is hidden until a customer actually needs it (i.e. they click a button or link to open the quick view), it doesn't clutter up your product lists.

Here are some great examples of stores that will benefit from a WooCommerce quick view WordPress plugin.

Show a WooCommerce product gallery lightbox without forcing people to leave the page

Most WooCommerce product list views show a single image for each product. The best WooCommerce quick view plugins create product gallery lightboxes where shoppers browse all images with zoom features without loading a new page. Customers can quickly switch between gallery lightboxes for different products to make purchasing decisions.

This approach works whether you're using the regular WooCommerce shop and category pages, or a WooCommerce list view plugin.

Display food add-ons for a WooCommerce restaurant ordering system

If you're using WooCommerce as a restaurant ordering system, quick view plugins solve the challenge of balancing a clean menu with customization options. Pizza delivery shops with 10+ different toppings can present a streamlined menu and let customers customize orders using the product quick view. You'll still get that nice one-page ordering that restaurants need without compromising on usability.

You can add toppings and other options like this by using the WooCommerce Product Options plugin.

Move add-ons, attributes, and variations into the WooCommerce quick view

A WooCommerce quick view plugin displays product add-ons, attributes, and variations in modal windows without visiting individual product pages. The custom quick view lightbox lets you display more product information and extra buying options while keeping your shop pages clean.

You can even display product variations as a table in the quick view lightbox. To do this, use the WooCommerce Quick View Pro and WooCommerce Product Table plugins together. That way, you can display variations as a table in the quick view window.

Key features of WooCommerce quick view plugins

When evaluating quick view plugins, look for these core features that ensure smooth functionality and positive user experience.

• AJAX add-to-cartAllows customers to add products to cart directly from popup without page reload.
• Variable product supportEnables selection of product variations (size, color, options) within quick view modal.
• Mobile responsivenessEnsures popup displays correctly and functions smoothly on smartphones and tablets.
• Product navigationProvides next and previous buttons to browse between products without closing popup.
• Customization optionsAllows control over button placement, popup content, styling, and trigger method.
• Theme compatibilityWorks with standard WooCommerce themes without requiring custom code or modifications.
• Product type supportSupports simple, variable, grouped, and external or affiliate products in quick view.
• Responsive layoutsMost quick view plugins offer fully responsive layouts ensuring smooth mobile device and tablet functionality.

With these evaluation criteria in mind, let's compare the most popular WooCommerce quick view plugins available today.

Comparing the best WooCommerce quick view plugins

WooCommerce does not include native quick view functionality in its core software. The WooCommerce.com marketplace offers a premium quick view extension developed by Kestrel for official integration. Third-party developers like YITH, ShapedPlugin, and Barn2 provide alternative quick view solutions with different feature sets and pricing structures.

Quick comparison table

Plugin	Price	Best for	Key strength
Quick View Pro (Barn2)	Premium / Bundle	Advanced users needing Product Table integration	External/affiliate product support + order form integration
YITH Quick View	Free / $69.99/yr	Stores wanting free option with premium upgrade path	Product navigation arrows in premium version
WooCommerce Official	Premium only	Users prioritizing guaranteed compatibility	Official WooCommerce marketplace support
ShapedPlugin	Free / $39/yr	Budget-conscious stores needing solid features	Best price-to-feature ratio
WPC Smart	Free / Premium	Small stores starting with basic features	Simple setup with shortcode support
Addonify	Free / Premium	Minimalist approach with lightweight code	Fastest loading times

Which quick view plugin is right for your store?

Use this guide to match plugins to your specific store type and needs:

Restaurant or food stores: Quick View Pro (Barn2) works seamlessly with Product Table for one-page ordering forms with customizable menu items and add-ons.

Wholesale or B2B stores: Quick View Pro (Barn2) integrates with Product Table to create quick order forms where buyers can view details and add multiple items rapidly.

Fashion or apparel stores: YITH WooCommerce Quick View offers product navigation arrows in premium version, letting customers browse collections without leaving the page.

Small businesses on a budget: WPC Smart Quick View or Addonify provide solid free versions with essential features and optional premium upgrades.

Stores selling external or affiliate products: Quick View Pro (Barn2) fully supports external and affiliate products, while other plugins have limited support.

Users prioritizing official support: WooCommerce Quick View (Official Extension) guarantees compatibility and marketplace backing from WooCommerce.com.

Stores needing best value: Quick View for WooCommerce by ShapedPlugin offers strong features at $39 per year, the most competitive premium pricing.

Consider compatibility and performance

Compatibility considerations matter because poorly optimized quick view plugins can conflict with caching systems, page builders, and other WooCommerce extensions. Plugins with regular updates and documented theme compatibility are less likely to cause performance issues or site conflicts.

Look for plugins that use AJAX efficiently and don't add excessive HTTP requests or JavaScript files. Well-optimized quick view plugins maintain fast page load times by loading popup content only when triggered rather than on initial page load.

Detailed plugin reviews

1. WooCommerce Quick View Pro (Barn2)

Price: Premium plugin with bundle available with Product Table.

Works best for: Advanced users needing extensive customization, Product Table integration, and support for all product types including external and affiliate products.

Key features:

• Supports all product types including external or affiliate products.
• Integrates with WooCommerce Product Table for order forms.
• Three lightbox layouts (images only, details only, both).
• Extensive control over displayed content and button positioning.
• Mobile-responsive design works on all devices including smartphones and tablets.

Pros and cons:

2. YITH WooCommerce Quick View

Price: Free version available. Premium $69.99 per year for advanced features.

Works best for: Stores wanting a feature-rich solution with extensive customization, free option for testing, and premium upgrade path for navigation features.

Key features:

• Responsive lightbox with product images, descriptions, prices, add-to-cart.
• Premium adds navigation arrows, social sharing, sliding panel option.
• Multiple display styles (modal, sliding panel, on-page preview).
• Integrates with other YITH products.

Pros and cons:

3. WooCommerce Quick View (Official Extension)

Price: Premium only, available through WooCommerce marketplace.

Works best for: Users prioritizing guaranteed compatibility with WooCommerce core and professional marketplace support.

Key features:

• Official WooCommerce marketplace extension.
• Works out-of-the-box with most WooCommerce themes.
• AJAX add-to-cart with variable product support.
• Professional design and regular updates.

Pros and cons:

4. Quick View for WooCommerce (ShapedPlugin)

Price: Free version. Pro version $39 per year for advanced layouts.

Works best for: Budget-conscious stores needing solid features with the best price-to-feature ratio in premium category.

Key features:

• Freemium plugin with solid free version.
• Customizable button positions and modal effects.
• Mobile-responsive with product variation support.
• Premium adds gallery sliders, custom CSS or JS.

Pros and cons:

5. WPC Smart Quick View

Price: Free version. Premium adds advanced options.

Works best for: Small to medium businesses needing free solution with good customization and shortcode support for manual placement.

Key features:

• Lightweight and easy to configure.
• Multiple button positions and modal effects.
• AJAX add-to-cart and mobile-responsive.
• Shortcode support for manual placement.

Pros and cons:

6. Addonify WooCommerce Quick View

Price: Free version. Premium adds customization options.

Works best for: Stores prioritizing minimalist interface, lightweight code, and fastest loading times.

Key features:

• Simple, clean quick view popup with essential features.
• Freemium model with free version for small stores.
• Lightweight plugin with minimal resource usage.
• Easy setup with straightforward settings panel.

Pros and cons:

Feature comparison table

Feature	Quick View Pro (Barn2)	YITH	WooCommerce (Official)	ShapedPlugin	WPC Smart	Addonify
AJAX Add-to-Cart	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Variable Products	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Mobile Responsive	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Next or Prev Navigation	✅	✅ (Premium)	❌	✅ (Pro)	✅ (Premium)	❌
External or Affiliate Products	✅	✅	✅	Limited	Limited	Limited
Product Table Integration	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Free Version	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
Pricing	Premium / Bundle	Free / $69.99 per yr	Premium only	Free / $39 per yr	Free / Premium	Free / Premium

Most quick view plugins offer fully responsive layouts, ensuring the popup works well on mobile devices and tablets regardless of which solution you choose.

Tutorial: How to set up the best WooCommerce quick view plugin

The setup workflow for quick view plugins follows a standard pattern across most solutions. Install plugin --> Activate --> Configure settings --> Customize appearance --> Test on shop page. This tutorial demonstrates Quick View Pro setup including button placement, lightbox content, and Product Table integration. Follow these steps to add quick view functionality to your WooCommerce store.

Next, we get to the practical part of this article: the WooCommerce Quick View Pro setup tutorial.

Below, you'll learn how to use WooCommerce Quick View Pro with:

• The regular WooCommerce shop and archive pages.
• Order forms or product list views that you've created with the WooCommerce Product Table plugin.

Either watch the video, or follow the written instructions underneath.

Step 1: Install and activate WooCommerce Quick View Pro

As soon as you install and activate the WooCommerce Quick View plugin on your WooCommerce store, it automatically adds product quick view features. By default, it adds a Quick View button to the main shop page and category archives.

You can see an example of the default button below:

When users click that button, the quick view lightbox opens and displays the short description, add to cart button, image gallery, extra metadata, price, reviews, and additional product data as required.

Step 2: Choose how shoppers open quick view

To access WooCommerce Quick View Pro's settings, use the plugin setup wizard or go to WooCommerce --> Settings --> Products --> Quick view.

The first setting that you'll want to configure is how shoppers actually open the quick view popup. You can choose whether or not to use the dedicated quick view button. If you do want to use the button, you can also change the button text and turn the button icon on or off.

Beyond that, you can also choose whether or not to open the quick view when a shopper clicks on the product's title or image by checking the box for Open from product name/image.

Step 3: Choose what information displays in the product quick view box

You can control what product information displays inside the quick view box and how shoppers can interact with that information. Use the dropdown to control whether to display only product images, only product details, or both images and product details.

Further down, you can also control which specific product details to include in the lightbox.

Using WooCommerce Quick View Pro with WooCommerce Product Table

Next, let's cover how to use the WooCommerce quick view plugin with our WooCommerce Product Table WordPress plugin. This is a super-popular combination because customers love creating quick product order forms complete with quick view buttons.

WooCommerce Product Table lets you display some or all of your products in a flexible list view. A few popular use cases are restaurant order forms, wholesale stores, and audio or video stores.

When both WooCommerce quick view plugins are active, you'll see a new Quick View Pro option in the WooCommerce Product Table settings. You can access these settings by going to WooCommerce --> Settings --> Products --> Product tables.

When you check this box, all of the product page links in your table will open the quick view box instead of linking to the individual product page. That means shoppers can click on the name of the product to open more information, or use the add to cart button if they want to add the product straight to their carts.

Beyond that setting, you also get a new quick-view column option that you can add to your table. If you include the quick-view column, it will add a persistent quick view button for each product.

If you want to change the button text, you can use regular WooCommerce Quick View Pro button settings. You can also use those settings to customize what information is included in the product quick view box.

For more details on using quick view with Product Table, check out our tutorial on quick view shortcode implementation for advanced placement options.

Get the best WooCommerce quick view plugin today

Ecommerce quick views are a great way to let shoppers view more information without forcing them to visit the individual product page.

Almost half of the top 50 ecommerce stores use quick view functionality. About 45% of shoppers are likely to make use of quick view functionality.

It doesn't matter whether you're using the regular WooCommerce shop pages or you've created product list views with our WooCommerce Product Table plugin. Either way, WooCommerce Quick View Pro adds a flexible product quick view box in just a few minutes. We've designed it to be one of the best WooCommerce quick view plugins available today, and we hope you like it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there known performance issues with quick view plugins?

Quick view plugins can conflict with caching plugins, JavaScript libraries, or themes that override WooCommerce hooks. Test by disabling other plugins one by one to isolate conflicts if quick view button doesn't appear.

Poorly optimized plugins may add extra HTTP requests or JavaScript that slows page load times. Quick View Pro is tested with major WooCommerce themes and includes troubleshooting documentation for display issues.

How does quick view actually help my WooCommerce store?

Quick view reduces bounce rate by eliminating page loads required for product comparison. Customers make purchase decisions faster with instant product preview rather than navigating between pages. Mobile shoppers benefit from reduced navigation friction since all product information displays without leaving product grid.

How does WooCommerce Quick View Pro compare to YITH?

Both YITH and Quick View Pro are premium plugins with similar core features including AJAX add-to-cart and customization. Quick View Pro uniquely integrates with WooCommerce Product Table to display quick view buttons in product order forms. See our detailed plugin comparison table above for feature-by-feature analysis.

Do you have any questions about how to use WooCommerce quick view plugins at your store? Let us know in the comments!