# Smash Balloon: Social Media Feed and Reviews Plugins for WordPress

> WordPress plugins that display live Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube and TikTok feeds and customer reviews (Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, TripAdvisor, Airbnb, Booking.com, WooCommerce and more) on a website with no code. Feeds render server-side in the page's own HTML, are cached locally, and inherit the site's CSS. Free editions on WordPress.org; Pro editions add filtering, moderation, more sources, more layouts and priority support. Used on 1.75 million+ websites. Founded 2013, part of Awesome Motive.

Smash Balloon plugins connect to a social network or review platform's official API, fetch the account's public content, cache it in the WordPress database, and render it as native HTML through a shortcode, a Gutenberg block, an Elementor widget or a template function. Each plugin has a free edition on WordPress.org and a Pro edition sold at smashballoon.com. Pro licenses are Basic (1 site), Plus (5 sites) or Elite (10 sites); the All Access Bundle covers every plugin on unlimited sites. All plugins share the same setup flow: install, connect an account with one click (no developer app or access token needed), pick a layout in the visual Feed Customizer, embed.

Every page linked below is also available as Markdown at the same URL with `.md` appended. Category and archive pages are HTML only.

## Products

- **Instagram Feed**: posts, Reels, hashtag feeds and tagged feeds from Instagram Business or Creator accounts (Instagram closed API access for personal accounts in December 2024; hashtag and tagged feeds need a Business Advanced connection). Grid, carousel, masonry and highlight layouts; lightbox with video playback, comments and likes; shoppable feeds that link each post to any URL; visual moderation; 12+ templates. Free edition: Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed (1 million+ active installs).
- **Facebook Feed**: statuses, photos, videos, albums, events, links and playlists from Facebook Pages and Groups. Filter by post type or keyword; comments and reactions; lightbox; HD, 360° and live video. Six Pro extensions: Multifeed, Reviews, Carousel, Album, Date Range, Featured Post. Free edition: Smash Balloon Social Post Feed (200,000+ installs).
- **X (Twitter) Feed**: user timelines, hashtag, search, list, mentions and home timelines; photos, videos and GIFs; masonry and carousel layouts. Because of X API pricing, Pro plans meter API refreshes per day: 12 (Basic), 18 (Plus), 24 (Elite). Free edition: Custom Twitter Feeds (100,000+ installs).
- **YouTube Feed**: channel, playlist, single video, search, favorites and live-stream feeds. Grid, gallery, list and carousel layouts; deferred player loading; custom pause and end-of-video actions; optional conversion of videos to WordPress posts. Free edition: Feeds for YouTube (100,000+ installs).
- **TikTok Feed**: account timeline videos with grid, list, masonry, carousel and gallery layouts; lightbox playback; filter by word or hashtag; sort by views or likes; combine several accounts. Free edition: Feeds for TikTok (70,000+ installs).
- **Reviews Feed**: reviews from Google, Yelp, Facebook, Trustpilot, TripAdvisor, Airbnb, Booking.com, AliExpress, WordPress.org, WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. List, carousel, masonry and single-review layouts; filter by rating, keyword or source; manual review upload; schema.org review markup; up to 100 reviews of history per Google or Yelp source. Free edition: Reviews Feed (100,000+ installs).
- **Social Wall**: combines Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and TikTok Pro feeds into one wall with cross-network filtering. Requires two or more Pro feed plugins; included in the All Access Bundle.
- **Feed Analytics**: views, clicks, profile visits and top posts across every Smash Balloon feed on a site, in one WordPress dashboard. Included with every Elite license and the All Access Bundle.
- **WPChat** (sister product, wpchat.com): WordPress chat widget that routes visitors to WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram or Instagram.

## Shared platform features

- **Feed Creation Wizard**: connect an account in one click (OAuth handled by Smash Balloon; no developer app for standard feeds), choose a feed type, publish. Typical setup under 5 minutes.
- **Feed Customizer**: live visual editor with 100+ options per plugin, templates and color themes, per-device settings, custom CSS and JS.
- **Downtime Prevention**: local cache plus a backup cache, so feeds keep displaying if the network's API is down or a token expires; Site Health alerts; error log with plain-language fixes.
- **Speed**: server-side rendering, image resizing and local image storage, deferred video players, cached API responses (default 1 hour, configurable), tested with W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed, Cloudflare and other cache layers.
- **SEO**: feed content is in the page HTML, not an iframe, so captions and reviews are crawlable; Reviews Feed adds review schema.
- **GDPR**: one-click GDPR mode serves media from the site's own server and blocks third-party requests to Meta, Google, X or TikTok; integrations with WPConsent, Cookie Notice, GDPR Cookie Consent (WebToffee), Cookiebot, Complianz, Borlabs Cookie, Real Cookie Banner and GDPR Cookie Compliance (Moove); a filter for any other consent plugin.
- **Compatibility**: WordPress 4.1+ (5.3+ for X Feed), PHP 7.4+, native Gutenberg blocks and Elementor widgets for every feed, translation-ready.

## Use with AI agents

- **Install**: the free plugins are on WordPress.org, so any agent with WP-CLI or admin access can install them, for example `wp plugin install instagram-feed --activate`. Connecting the social account is a one-time browser step the site owner completes.
- **WordPress Abilities API**: Instagram Feed Pro (6.14+) registers abilities under the `instagram-feed/` namespace, so MCP clients connected through WPVibe or the WordPress MCP Adapter can list, create and update feeds, set sources and colors, read the settings schema and get the account-connect URL. Write abilities are off until a site admin enables **MCP Write Access** under Instagram Feed > Settings > General. Feed deletion is a request the admin confirms.
- **Placing a feed**: create the feed, then put its shortcode (below) in a Shortcode block, a classic widget or a template. Do not hand-build shortcode attributes: since Instagram Feed 6 and Facebook Feed 4, every display setting lives on the feed and the shortcode only carries its ID.

## Embed reference

Each feed gets an ID when it is created; the shortcode references that ID.

- Instagram: `[instagram-feed feed=1]`
- Facebook: `[custom-facebook-feed feed=1]`
- X (Twitter): `[custom-twitter-feeds feed=1]`
- YouTube: `[youtube-feed feed=1]`
- TikTok: `[sbtt-tiktok feed=1]`
- Reviews: `[reviews-feed feed=1]`
- In a PHP theme template: pass the shortcode to `do_shortcode()` and echo the result (see "Feed in a theme template" below).

## Pricing

All prices per year in USD. The site currently runs a 50% first-year discount; renewals are at the regular price. 14-day money-back guarantee.

- **Instagram Feed Pro**: Basic $49 first year ($98 regular), 1 site. Plus $99 ($198), 5 sites, adds hashtag feeds, moderation, filters, templates, combined feed types. Elite $149 ($298), 10 sites, adds tagged feeds, shoppable feeds, themes, priority support, Feed Analytics.
- **Facebook Feed Pro**: Basic $49 ($98), 1 site. Plus $99 ($198), 5 sites, adds albums, video feeds, comments and replies, filtering, templates. Elite $149 ($298), 10 sites, adds events, themes, all six extensions, priority support, Feed Analytics.
- **X (Twitter) Feed Pro**: Basic $49 ($98), 1 site, 12 API refreshes a day. Plus $99 ($198), 5 sites, 18 a day, adds hashtag feeds and templates. Elite $149 ($298), 10 sites, 24 a day, adds advanced search feeds, autoload on scroll, priority support, Feed Analytics.
- **YouTube Feed Pro**: Basic $49 ($98), 1 site: channel, playlist and single-video feeds, carousels, subscribe button. Plus $99 ($198), 5 sites, adds Search API feeds, pause and end actions, templates, video-to-post. Elite $149 ($298), 10 sites, adds live streams, moderation, priority support, Feed Analytics.
- **TikTok Feed Pro**: Basic $49 ($98), 1 site, up to 5 sources and 10 feeds, daily refresh. Plus $99 ($198), 5 sites, 10 sources, 20 feeds, twice-daily refresh, more layouts, filtering. Elite $149 ($298), 10 sites, 25 sources, 25 feeds, sort by views or likes, combine sources, priority support, Feed Analytics.
- **Reviews Feed Pro**: Basic $49 ($98), 1 site, Google and Yelp. Plus $99 ($198), 5 sites, adds Facebook, Trustpilot, WooCommerce, AliExpress, Easy Digital Downloads and review alerts. Elite $149 ($298), 10 sites, adds TripAdvisor, Airbnb, Booking.com, WordPress.org, twice-daily refresh, priority support, Feed Analytics.
- **All Access Bundle**: $299 first year ($598 regular). Every Pro plugin at Elite, all Facebook extensions, Social Wall, Feed Analytics, unlimited sites, priority support, future plugins.

Licensing: a license controls activated sites, Pro features, updates and support for one year, and can move between sites within the limit. After it expires, existing feeds keep displaying, but updates and support stop and, after a 14-day grace period, Pro settings lock until renewal. Tier upgrades are prorated.

## Support

- Pro customers: ticket form at smashballoon.com/support with a System Info paste; Elite and All Access get priority.
- Free users: the WordPress.org support forum for each plugin.
- Self-service: 440+ documentation articles, a support assistant on the site, API error references per network.
- Status: status.smashballoon.com. Security reports: smashballoon.com/security.

## Products and pricing pages

- [Instagram Feed](https://smashballoon.com/instagram-feed.md): product overview, layouts, Pro features
- [Facebook Feed](https://smashballoon.com/custom-facebook-feed.md): product overview and feed types
- [Facebook Feed extensions](https://smashballoon.com/custom-facebook-feed/extensions.md): the six Pro extensions
- [X (Twitter) Feed](https://smashballoon.com/custom-twitter-feeds.md): product overview and API refresh limits
- [YouTube Feed](https://smashballoon.com/youtube-feed.md): product overview and feed types
- [TikTok Feed](https://smashballoon.com/tiktok-feeds.md): product overview and layouts
- [Reviews Feed](https://smashballoon.com/reviews-feed.md): review sources and layouts
- [Social Wall](https://smashballoon.com/social-wall.md): combine several networks in one feed
- [Feed Analytics](https://smashballoon.com/feed-analytics.md): feed performance dashboard
- [All features](https://smashballoon.com/features.md): feature list across the suite
- [Pricing](https://smashballoon.com/pricing.md): every plan and the All Access Bundle
- [All Access Bundle](https://smashballoon.com/all-access.md): every Pro plugin, unlimited sites
- [Refund policy](https://smashballoon.com/refund-policy.md): 14-day money-back terms
- [Licenses explained](https://smashballoon.com/doc/licenses-explained.md): site limits, moving a license
- [License upgrades](https://smashballoon.com/doc/license-upgrades.md): prorated tier changes
- [After a license expires](https://smashballoon.com/doc/will-the-plugin-continue-to-work-after-my-license-expires.md): what keeps working and what locks

## Free plugins on WordPress.org

- [Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed](https://wordpress.org/plugins/instagram-feed/): free Instagram feed, slug `instagram-feed`
- [Smash Balloon Social Post Feed](https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-facebook-feed/): free Facebook feed, slug `custom-facebook-feed`
- [Custom Twitter Feeds](https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-twitter-feeds/): free X feed, slug `custom-twitter-feeds`
- [Feeds for YouTube](https://wordpress.org/plugins/feeds-for-youtube/): free YouTube feed, slug `feeds-for-youtube`
- [Feeds for TikTok](https://wordpress.org/plugins/feeds-for-tiktok/): free TikTok feed, slug `feeds-for-tiktok`
- [Reviews Feed](https://wordpress.org/plugins/reviews-feed/): free reviews feed, slug `reviews-feed`

## Getting started

- [Free Instagram Feed setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-the-free-instagram-feed-wordpress-plugin.md): install, connect, embed
- [Instagram Feed Pro setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-the-instagram-feed-pro-wordpress-plugin.md): license, connect, first feed
- [Facebook Feed setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/installing-and-configuring-the-custom-facebook-feed-wordpress-plugin.md): install and connect a Page or Group
- [X (Twitter) Feed Pro setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-the-custom-twitter-feeds-pro-wordpress-plugin.md): install and first feed
- [YouTube Feed Pro setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-the-feeds-for-youtube-pro-wordpress-plugin.md): install and first feed
- [TikTok Feed Pro setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/installing-the-tiktok-feeds-pro-wordpress-plugin.md): install and connect an account
- [Reviews Feed Pro setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/installing-the-reviews-feed-pro-wordpress-plugin.md): install and add a review source
- [Social Wall setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-the-social-wall-plugin.md): combine Pro feeds
- [Feed Analytics setup](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-the-feed-analytics-pro-plugin.md): enable the dashboard
- [Free to Pro migration](https://smashballoon.com/doc/migrate-settings-free-version-wordpress-plugin-pro-version.md): keep settings when upgrading
- [Instagram free vs Pro](https://smashballoon.com/doc/differences-in-instagram-feed-free-vs-pro.md): feature split
- [Reviews free vs Pro](https://smashballoon.com/doc/differences-between-reviews-feed-free-and-pro-versions.md): feature split
- [TikTok free vs Pro](https://smashballoon.com/doc/differences-between-tiktok-feeds-free-and-pro.md): feature split

## Feed types and API requirements

- [Instagram hashtag feeds](https://smashballoon.com/doc/displaying-an-instagram-hashtag-feed-on-your-website.md): requirements and limits
- [Instagram Business Advanced](https://smashballoon.com/doc/instagram-business-profiles.md): connection needed for hashtag and tagged feeds
- [Instagram Stories](https://smashballoon.com/doc/show-instagram-stories.md): showing Stories in a feed
- [Shoppable Instagram feeds](https://smashballoon.com/doc/make-a-shoppable-feed.md): link each post to a URL
- [Facebook events](https://smashballoon.com/doc/create-a-facebook-events-access-token.md): events feeds and the access token they need
- [Facebook albums](https://smashballoon.com/doc/facebook-wordpress-plugin-albums.md): album feeds
- [YouTube API key](https://smashballoon.com/doc/youtube-api-key.md): needed for playlist and search feeds
- [Google Places API key](https://smashballoon.com/doc/creating-a-google-api-key.md): for Google reviews
- [Yelp API key](https://smashballoon.com/doc/creating-a-yelp-api-key.md): for Yelp reviews
- [TripAdvisor API key](https://smashballoon.com/doc/creating-a-tripadvisor-api-key.md): for TripAdvisor reviews
- [WooCommerce reviews](https://smashballoon.com/doc/setting-up-a-woocommerce-reviews-feed-with-reviews-feed-pro.md): product reviews feed
- [Review rich snippets](https://smashballoon.com/doc/understanding-rich-snippet-schema-in-reviews-feed.md): how Reviews Feed schema works

## Developers

- [Custom templates](https://smashballoon.com/doc/guide-to-creating-custom-templates.md): override feed templates in a theme
- [Social Wall templates](https://smashballoon.com/doc/social-wall-custom-templates.md): override Social Wall templates
- [Custom CSS](https://smashballoon.com/doc/using-custom-css-code-in-our-plugins.md): styling feeds with CSS
- [Feed in a theme template](https://smashballoon.com/doc/embed-feed-directly-wordpress-page-template.md): PHP embed
- [Elementor widgets](https://smashballoon.com/doc/smash-balloon-elementor-widgets.md): embedding with Elementor
- [Block editor](https://smashballoon.com/doc/wordpress-5-block-page-editor-gutenberg.md): embedding with Gutenberg blocks
- [Image size filter](https://smashballoon.com/doc/specifying-exact-image-sizes-using-the-cff_resized_image_sizes-filter.md): `cff_resized_image_sizes` example
- [WP-Cron workaround](https://smashballoon.com/doc/cron-jobs-workaround.md): forcing feed updates
- [Caching plugins](https://smashballoon.com/doc/wordpress-plugin-work-w3-total-cache-caching-plugins.md): compatibility notes
- [Admin AJAX not working](https://smashballoon.com/doc/admin-ajax-requests-are-not-working.md): Cloudflare and firewall fixes

## Troubleshooting

- [Instagram API errors](https://smashballoon.com/doc/instagram-api-error-message-reference.md): every error code and its fix
- [Facebook API errors](https://smashballoon.com/doc/facebook-api-errors.md): every error code and its fix
- [YouTube Feed errors](https://smashballoon.com/doc/youtube-feed-errors.md): error reference
- [Reconnect an Instagram source](https://smashballoon.com/doc/fix-instagram-source.md): fixing an invalid connection
- [Feed not updating](https://smashballoon.com/doc/my-feed-updates-slowly-or-not-at-all.md): cache and cron causes
- [Error 999](https://smashballoon.com/doc/error-999-access-token-could-not-be-decrypted.md): access token could not be decrypted
- [System Info](https://smashballoon.com/doc/how-to-get-system-info.md): what support needs in a ticket

## Privacy and compliance

- [GDPR and our plugins](https://smashballoon.com/gdpr-and-our-plugins.md): what data flows where
- [GDPR features](https://smashballoon.com/gdpr-compliant.md): GDPR mode overview
- [Supported consent plugins](https://smashballoon.com/doc/gdpr-plugin-list.md): built-in integrations
- [Unsupported consent plugins](https://smashballoon.com/doc/how-to-add-support-for-smash-balloon-gdpr-setting-in-unsupported-gdpr-plugins.md): the filter to hook any other plugin
- [Privacy policy](https://smashballoon.com/privacy-policy.md): website privacy policy
- [App privacy policy](https://smashballoon.com/app-privacy.md): what the connected apps access
- [Terms](https://smashballoon.com/terms-and-conditions.md): terms and conditions
- [Security](https://smashballoon.com/security.md): reporting a vulnerability

## Optional

- [Live demos](https://smashballoon.com/demo/): every feed type rendered
- [Customer reviews](https://smashballoon.com/user-reviews.md): what customers say
- [Showcase](https://smashballoon.com/showcase.md): sites using the plugins
- [Smash Balloon vs Tagembed](https://smashballoon.com/best-tagembed-alternative.md): comparison
- [Smash Balloon vs Juicer](https://smashballoon.com/best-juicer-alternative.md): comparison
- [Smash Balloon vs EmbedSocial](https://smashballoon.com/best-embedsocial-alternative.md): comparison
- [Best Instagram feed plugin for WordPress](https://smashballoon.com/best-instagram-feed-plugin-for-wordpress.md): roundup
- [Best Facebook feed plugin for WordPress](https://smashballoon.com/best-facebook-feed-plugin-for-wordpress.md): roundup
- [Product announcements](https://smashballoon.com/announcements.md): release news
- [Instagram Feed changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/instagram-feed-change-log.md): version history
- [Facebook Feed changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/custom-facebook-feed-change-log.md): version history
- [X Feed changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/custom-twitter-feed-change-log.md): version history
- [YouTube Feed changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/youtube-feed-change-log.md): version history
- [TikTok Feed changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/tiktok-feeds-change-log.md): version history
- [Reviews Feed changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/reviews-feed-pro-plugin-change-log.md): version history
- [Social Wall changelog](https://smashballoon.com/doc/social-wall-change-log.md): version history
- [Facebook Feed shortcode options before 4.0](https://smashballoon.com/doc/custom-facebook-feed-wordpress-plugin-shortcode-reference.md): legacy only; current versions use `feed=ID`
- [About](https://smashballoon.com/about.md): company background, part of Awesome Motive
- [Affiliate program](https://smashballoon.com/affiliates.md): 20% commission
- [Custom development](https://smashballoon.com/custom-development.md): paid custom work
- [Careers](https://smashballoon.com/work-here.md): open roles
- [Blog](https://smashballoon.com/blog/): guides and tutorials