By If you’re already a seasoned EverWeb user, you’ll be aware of its Image Slider widget, but EverWeb 4.5 introduces something new to the image slider concept… The Carousel Widget.In this post we’re going to take a look at both so that you can more easily decide which to you and when…
A Tale of Two Widgets…
First up, the Image Slider widget has been around for a long time having been introduced in EverWeb version 1.0, way back in 2013 and at the time, only for Mac! By contrast, the Carousel Widget is only a few months old, being introduced in July 2026 with the debut of EverWeb 4.5 for Mac and Windows..
The major difference from a development perspective is that the design ethic differs between the widgets. The Image Slider is a traditionally designed widget, whereas the Carousel widget is designed with EverWeb’s Container Technology. This means that whilst being a ‘widget’, the Carousel widget is also a Container. You can quickly access it using the Containers tab.
From a usage perspective, the Image Slider widget gives you more a more structured approach. You’ll be operating more in the Widget Settings to achieve the look and feel that you want. The Carousel widget on the other hand is a wiget that you’ll be interacting more directly with to achieve what you want.
What are the Main Similarities?
The main similarity that both widgets share is that they can be used as an image slider. Both widgets can be used in responsive pages and are perhaps best used as full width objects. There’s also support for Previous/Next buttons, auto-play, and stop slideshow on hover. You can set the background of the slider and how you want your images to be presented (e.g. Fill, Fit etc.).
The Main Differences Between The Widgets
There are a couple of big differences between the two widgets that will help you decide on which is best for you to use. The first difference is that the Carousel widget is a multi-media widget. You can mix and match almost any type of media you like in to your slideshow. This is a real boon for when you want to mix text with images, video and even audio to make a mixed media presentation.
The Image Slider Widget was originally designed for use on fixed width, Centered page layouts and this is where it excels in terms of design theory and usage. That’s not to say that it’s not at home in responsive pages though. It’s equally good here, but responsive design tends to lead you more towards responsive design tools, and this is where the Carousel widget may win out for you.
The next major difference between the widgets is that the Carousel widget is at its heart a Container. As such, you have great design freedom within the widget. You can even add Containers into the widget which gives you the possibility of column, row and free-flow container designs within the widget. It’s very much a widget designed for responsive page layouts, even though it can be used in Centered page layouts if needed.
The Carousel widget’s Previous/Next buttons are also fully customizable so that you can change their color, or even the type of button by using a different SVG background mask if you want. Additionally, these buttons can be positioned where you want them anywhere within the widget. The Image Slider widget, on the other hand, only allows you to show or hide the buttons, so you can have an automated slideshow running if you want.
What the Image Slider does have that the Carousel doesn’t is positionable image thumbnails and the ability to enlarge the image when it’s clicked on. You can also optionally display and image counter too. The other major unique feature of the Image Slider widget is that you can add Captions automatically.You can do this with the Carousel widget if you use Containers to do so, but for an quick and easy captioning, the Image Slider may be the way to go for you.
Perhaps the other main difference between the two widgets is their workflow. With the Image Slider widget most of what you do with the widget is accessible from its Widget Settings. In the case of the Carousel widget, you’ll find yourself flipping between different parts of EverWeb to access the styling that you want to achieve. So there is a bit of a trade off here as the Carousel widget gives you more design freedom, whilst the Image Slider widget is a bit more structured in its approach.
Which Widget To Choose…
At the end of our comparison, we would probably lean towards using the Carousel widget, but that recommendation comes with a caveat –
the elephant in the room that is responsive page design. In many ways the choice you have probably comes down to the type of page layout that you’re using. Responsive designers will enjoy the freedom and workflow of the Carousel widget. For those using a Centered page layout you’ll get an easy to use, straight-forward to design, slideshow using the Image Slider widget. The bonus for responsive website designers is that the Image Slider widget is also great to use in responsive pages. If you looking for an slideshow using mixed media, the choice is clear as the Carousel widget is the only way to go.
So long story short, for quick to design, structured image slider use the Image Slider widget, and mixed media designs, or those requiting in-depth design, choose the Carousel widget.
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