Let’s be honest—sliders are fun. A little bit of movement can really bring a page to life.
Sliders—also known as “carousels” or “image sliders”—are interactive elements for showing images or other media in a web page.
Take a look at these 20 useful jQuery sliders from Envato Market and you’ll see there’s more to sliders than you might have imagined.
1. RoyalSlider
Having a touch-friendly and responsive slider for your website is more important now than ever before, and RoyalSlider is both.
Developed with HTML5 and CSS3 best practices, it’s a solid choice.
Here are a few of the other royally cool features:
SEO optimized
highly configurable
over 10 starter templates
includes fallbacks for CSS3 transitions
and more
I think the best feature is the modular architecture that gives devs the option to exclude what they don’t need from the main JS file, keeping things as lean as possible.
The RoyalSlider is a solid JavaScript slider that should be a nice addition to any web dev’s toolbox.
2. Slider Revolution
It’s not easy to be “revolutionary” in the slider space. There are only so many options you can make available when it comes to sliders, but the Slider Revolution does a great job trying.
When it comes to jQuery sliders, this one delivers on just about everything you’ll want.
The list of features for this slider is long, so I’ll just hit the high points:
parallax effects and custom animations
SEO optimized and lazy loading options
add unlimited layers and slides with link options
includes “ready to use” styles and is highly customizable
and much more
The ability to drop in an image, video player embed, and social media source makes Slider Revolution one of the most flexible and customizable options you’ll find.
3. LayerSlider
The name doesn’t do this jQuery slider justice. Its 200+ 2D and 3D slide transitions will turn some heads.
Some of the notable features include:
skin design PSD template included
13 skins and 3 navigation types
add a fixed image over the slider
SEO friendly and lazy load images
hardware-accelerated CSS3 transitions with jQuery fallback
and more
Like the previous slider, you can drop in just about any content—even HTML5 self-hosted multimedia content.
The LayerSlider brings a lot of action to the slider space and is downright handsome.
4. jQuery Banner Rotator / Slideshow
The jQuery Banner Rotator / Slideshow slider is a straightforward solution. It’s simple without sacrificing essentials.
It includes:
tooltips, text descriptions, etc.
thumbnail and component viewing options
timer and delay options on a global or per-slider basis
multiple transitions for all slides or different for each one
more
While the jQuery Banner Rotator / Slideshow is basic compared to other jQuery sliders, it should not be overlooked if you want a simple, clean interface.
5. All In One Slider Responsive jQuery Slider Plugin
Every slider comes to market with its own unique perspective and provides a solution to whatever slider niche is being targeted.
But not this one.
The All In One Slider Responsive jQuery Slider Plugin is… well… all in one.
I think most web devs and designers have a go-to solution, but at the same time are always on the lookout for something new.
This just might be that something new as it includes:
banner rotator
thumbnails banner
banner with playlist
content slider
carousel
And all of these slider styles include most—if not all—of the features needed in a jQuery slider.
Will the All In One Slider Responsive jQuery Slider Plugin be your all-in-one slider solution?
6. UnoSlider
If your slider isn’t touch-enabled and responsive, you’re not doing it right.
The UnoSlider does it right.
This slider finds its sweet spot between simple and feature rich.
Features include:
easily themeable
12 pre-built themes
40 present transitions
IE6+ support (because it’s still out there!)
and more
The feature set leans more towards design and style, making the UnoSlider a great content slider to theme.
7. Master Slider
Looking for one jQuery slider to rule them all?
Try the Master Slider on for size…
When it comes to good looks, this one is in the upper echelon:
smart preloading
over 25 templates
hardware-accelerated transitions
supports touch navigation and swipe gestures
and much more
The interactive transitions, animated layers, and hotspots will really catch your eye.
The Master Slider collection is a masterpiece.
8. TouchCarousel
TouchCarousel touts “free support and upgrades”, but there’s a lot more to this lightweight carousel-style jQuery slider.
With “touch” in the name, it’s obviously fully responsive and supports touch navigation.
Other features include:
SEO friendly
smart autoplay
hardware-accelerated CSS3 transitions
customizable UI with four Photoshop skins
and more
However, TouchCarousel takes mobile to a whole new level with its unique physics-based scrolling.
9. Advanced Slider
A jQuery slider isn’t just for the web. It can also be useful when integrated into applications, just like you can do with the Advanced Slider.
Using HTML markup or XML, this advanced slider packs a lot of punch:
animated layers and smart video
100+ transitions and 150+ customizable properties
15 slider skins, 7 scrollbar skins, and built-in lightbox support
keyboard navigation, touchscreen support, and fully customizable interface
and much, much more
The best feature, however, has got to be the Advanced Slider API—making it the perfect slider solution for your application.
10. jQuery Slider Zoom In/Out Effect Fully Responsive
This is one of those jQuery sliders that makes you visit the demo before you start reading about the features, because you want to know what the heck “zoom in/out effect” even means.
Think screensaver.
While the effect is fairly slight, the zoom effect in a slider adds a nice touch in a world wide web full of static image sliders.
This slick slider’s features include:
CSS3 layer transitions
exit animation parameters for layers
fixed, full width, and fullscreen options
CSS and HTML formatted animated text
and more
While most sliders try to deliver many effects in one package, the jQuery Slider Zoom In/Out Effect Fully Responsive slider delivers the Ken Burns effect and delivers it well.
11. Content Timeline
Content Timeline is a beautifully designed and powerful slider—a perfect solution for timelines.
From desktop to mobile, timelines have never looked so good.
It’s simple. Take your content, sort it by the date, call the function, and that’s it!
Features include:
powerful and lightweight
11 customizable settings
fully interactive, flexible, and intuitive
full responsive and built for mobile and desktop
and more
With seven embedded script control methods and included easing effects, Content Timeline is one of the best timeline sliders you’ll find.
12. Sexy Slider
The Sexy Slider isn’t nearly as sexy as it used to be, but it has aged well, making it a trustworthy solution.
It’s not very impressive at first blush, but with some fine-tuning, this flexible jQuery slider can be configured to fit your design perfectly.
It includes:
auto slide
image captions
continuous sliding
6 transition effects
and more
Sexy Slider is just waiting for you to unlock its power and discover its full potential.
13. Master Slider jQuery Slider Plugin with Visual Builder
The Master Slider jQuery Slider Plugin with Visual Builder makes building a slider a snap—without sacrificing good looks.
This premium image and content slider offers some really nice hardware-accelerated transitions that will surely catch your eye.
Features include:
smart preloading
built for both mobile and desktop
over 80 ready-to-use sample sliders
masked layer transitions, layer actions, and overlay layers
and more
Master Slider jQuery Slider Plugin with Visual Builder is fully customizable, SEO friendly, and also supports videos. And of course, the most obvious: a visual builder.
14. Translucent
Most jQuery slider plugins include some sort of design chrome, and while you can configure it to your liking, sometimes you just want to keep everything contained within the slide itself.
Enter the Translucent slider.
There are a lot of presets, so all you’ll need to do is configure it and go!
Features include:
6 style variations
4 transition effects
2 touch swipe transitions
configurable buttons and captions
and more
Like others, it’s touch-friendly, responsive, and leverages hardware acceleration.
Translucent is a minimal slider design that does a great job pushing the content to the front.
15. Unleash
Looking for an accordion slider? Then Unleash is what you want!
Packed with features, this beautiful slider is one of the best accordion sliders you’ll find.
Features include:
HTML5 video support for desktop
hardware-accelerated animations
fully responsive
supports touch
and more
Unleash the Unleash jQuery responsive accordion slider.
16. AviaSlider
AviaSlider is another good-looking slider that includes some really nice effects.
This easy-to-use jQuery slideshow plugin includes eight predefined transitions, but you can create more.
Some other features include:
includes image preloader
autoplay stops when users interact
works with prettyPhoto Lightbox out of the box
and more
AviaSlider packs a punch, despite the packed version weighing in at only 8kb.
17. Slider Evolution
Start a slider revolution with Slider Evolution! Now you can easily create JavaScript sliders with some of the best effects.
With Slider Evolution, you can create an unlimited number of sliders, each with customized settings, to be placed anywhere on your website.
18. Accordionza
jQuery sliders don’t get much lighter than this.
Using only 3kb to load, Accordionza is a super lightweight accordion slider option.
And if you don’t like the three included styles, you can tweak the HTML and CSS of this flexible accordion.
Features include:
keyboard navigation
easily configure effects and controls
progressive enhancement (viewable without JavaScript enabled)
and more
Keep in mind that Accordionza can display many kinds of mixed content, making it an excellent choice for a flexible, go-to accordion slider option.
19. mightySlider
The mightySlider is mighty indeed.
You can use it not only as a simple image slider, but also as a full one-directional slider with item-based navigation—making for a nice one-page website design.
You’ll find plenty of options under the hood:
keyboard, mouse, and touch support
hardware-accelerated CSS3 transitions
clean, valid markup and SEO optimized
unlimited slides, caption layers, and caption effects
and much more
The API is powerful and developer-friendly, adding to the many ways it can be used.
With its clean and well-commented code, the mightySlider is an excellent, forward-thinking jQuery slider.
20. Parallax Slider
The Parallax Slider works like the jQuery Responsive OneByOne Slider Plugin, allowing you to animate each layer separately within a particular slide.
You can do this with multiple slides, or even just one slide, adding some compelling parallax animation to your website.
This comes with four different types of sliders, all offering the same animated, parallax effect.
Like many other jQuery sliders, it also includes:
fully customizable
touchscreen support
fully responsive and unlimited layers
autoplay, loop, height & width, and timer parameters
and more
Animated layers are not limited to text and images either. You can also include YouTube, Vimeo, and HTML5 video.
The Parallax Slider is another fine example of how Flash-like effects can be executed better than Flash—and be supported across all devices.
Conclusion
It’s interesting to see how the jQuery slider has evolved from something that just transitioned from one image to the next, into a broad range of creative tools. We see sliders that are 3D, parallax, full page, and are fully responsive and viewable on the desktop or smartphone.
If you didn’t find a jQuery slider you liked in this list, you could always take an Envato Tuts+ jQuery Code Tutorial and develop something completely new and unique. Otherwise, dig through the many other great jQuery sliders on Envato Market—there are plenty to choose from.
What’s your favorite jQuery slider and why?
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