---
title: "The 6 Best WordPress Image Map & Hotspot Plugins (2026)"
url: https://nexterwp.com/blog/best-wordpress-image-map-plugins/
date: 2026-07-01
modified: 2026-07-01
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Compare the best WordPress image map and hotspot plugins, from Draw Attention and Image Map Pro to PicPoints and the free Nexter Blocks Hotspot block."
image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/hotspot-design-type-1024x191.png
word_count: 1867
---

# The 6 Best WordPress Image Map & Hotspot Plugins (2026)

#### Key Takeaways
- An image map turns one image into several clickable areas, while a hotspot drops pins or markers on an image that reveal a tooltip or a link. Most plugins now do both.- Draw Attention is the most-installed free option, with over 1 million active installs, and the best all-round place to start.- Image Map Pro is the premium pick, a one-time $49 purchase for polished SVG maps with pins, shapes, and tooltips.- PicPoints is the newest builder and renders in an isolated Shadow DOM, so its styles never clash with your theme.- If you already build with blocks, the free Nexter Blocks Hotspot block adds pins, tooltips, and links without a separate plugin.
 

Ask two WordPress users what an image map is and you often get two different answers. One pictures a clickable floor plan or a product diagram, where different regions of a single image link to different pages. The other pictures pins dropped on a photo, each one opening a small tooltip with a name, a price, or a short note. Both are right, and both are far easier to build than most people expect.

This guide compares the six best WordPress image map and hotspot plugins, from the million-install veteran to a builder that shipped an update the same day this article went out. Every number here was pulled live from WordPress.org and CodeCanyon on July 1, 2026, so you can see what is actively maintained and what is not.

Table of Contents
![The 6 best WordPress image map and hotspot plugins compared for 2026](https://files.catbox.moe/0esf5t.png)Six image map and hotspot tools for WordPress, from free plugins to a premium builder and a native block.

## What Is an Image Map vs a Hotspot in WordPress?

An **image map** takes a single image and splits it into multiple clickable areas. Each area can link to a different page or trigger a different action, so one graphic behaves like several buttons. The idea goes back to the old HTML image map, but modern plugins let you draw the clickable regions visually and keep them responsive on phones.

A **hotspot** is an interactive marker, usually a pin or a dot, placed at a specific point on an image. Hover over it or tap it and a tooltip appears, often with text, an image, or a link. In practice the two ideas overlap, and most of the tools below handle both clickable regions and pin-style hotspots.

There are two plugin styles to keep in mind. **Standalone builders** give you a canvas where you draw pins or shapes on any image, then output a shortcode or a block you place in your content. **Block-native tools** live directly inside the WordPress editor, so you add hotspots the same way you add a paragraph or a button.

***Also Read:** [Gutenberg vs Elementor](https://nexterwp.com/blog/gutenberg-vs-elementor/) if you are still deciding which editor to build these images in.*

## How We Picked These Plugins

We looked at active installs, ratings, the last update date, and whether each tool has been tested with the current WordPress release. We also checked whether it still plays nicely with the block editor and whether there is a free version. The lineup mixes free plugins, one premium builder, and a native block, so there is a fit for most budgets and setups.

## 1. Draw Attention: Best Overall Free Image Map Plugin

Draw Attention, officially the Interactive Image Map Plugin by NSquared, is the most popular option in this category by a wide margin. It has over 1,007,277 active installs and a 98% rating across 114 reviews, sits at version 2.1.6, was last updated on May 19, 2026, and is tested up to WordPress 7.0.

You upload an image, draw clickable areas over the parts you care about, and each area can reveal extra content or send visitors to a URL. That makes it a natural fit for floor plans, infographics, and product feature diagrams.

![Draw Attention interactive image map plugin listing on WordPress.org](https://iad.microlink.io/XzYeewd3g7N6odLYDXEJVF4_UdaOrzBaAUDHGVff45T8rfQmTAt5JxNmHiz9f0Xom0M36Ke36rKAzX43wRZQhA.png)Draw Attention on WordPress.org, the most-installed image map plugin with over a million active installs.
**Best for:** your first image map, especially on a budget.

**Worth knowing:** the free plugin centers on one interactive image with clickable areas. A paid Pro version on the developer's site adds more advanced options, so map your needs before you buy.

## 2. Image Map Pro: Best Premium SVG Builder

Image Map Pro for WordPress is a premium builder sold on CodeCanyon for a one-time $49 regular license. It has 21,583 sales and a 4.48-star rating from 599 reviews, and it was last updated on June 10, 2026. It is built around SVG, so you add pins, vector shapes, and tooltips to any image without touching code, and the result stays crisp at any size.

![Image Map Pro for WordPress interactive SVG image map builder homepage](https://iad.microlink.io/yOMW9h0DBZge2oCy7XswwpNQ3LBITiNOCfWBC4Be1bklJZQwXR5Dye6QlhBu9dkVfIrA2L0fh5YjHA6ae1BnYA.png)Image Map Pro is an SVG-based builder for pins, shapes, and tooltips, sold as a one-time purchase.
**Best for:** polished, resolution-independent maps where visual detail matters.

**Worth knowing:** there is no free version, and it is an Envato purchase, so support and updates follow CodeCanyon's terms rather than the WordPress.org model.

## 3. PicPoints: Best Modern, Developer-Friendly Builder

PicPoints, by Yalogica, is the newest name here and the one generating fresh interest in the WordPress community. It is free on WordPress.org, sits at version 1.9.3, was last updated on July 1, 2026, and is tested up to WordPress 7.0. Its standout trait is that it renders inside an isolated Shadow DOM, which keeps its CSS and JavaScript from clashing with your theme or other plugins. It also leans into floor plans and larger interactive maps.

![PicPoints interactive image maps and floor plans builder on WordPress.org](https://iad.microlink.io/IR8r4F2GumKsWTrkRxPewkJHWvFiFEhrGPBa4e0RTTnF0h7H1BRT8jEMt504m_U3A5qkik9Z5wcNlCi-UYw34A.png)PicPoints renders in an isolated Shadow DOM to avoid theme and plugin style conflicts.
**Best for:** developers, floor plans, and sites where a plugin has fought with your theme's styles before.

**Worth knowing:** because it is new, it has very few public ratings so far, so test it on staging before you roll it out on a live site.

## 4. Image Hotspot by DevVN: Best Simple Free Hotspots

Image Hotspot by DevVN is a straightforward way to add tooltip pins to a photo. It has 392,482 active installs and an 86% rating from 29 reviews, and it sits at version 1.3.0. You place hotspots on an image and each one shows a tooltip, powered by jQuery PowerTip.

![Image Hotspot by DevVN plugin page on WordPress.org](https://iad.microlink.io/2uFwDlSIySTsFnBZnS98mozcrcKcS3GwncVVjTbIJXDGM_pRu5SwPRF6GlyqQQAkXg_SVwJTNGTdmzLlyOJ_Sg.png)Image Hotspot by DevVN adds tooltip pins to images and has nearly 400,000 active installs.
**Best for:** quick tooltip pins on a single photo.

**Worth knowing:** it was last updated in December 2025 and tested up to WordPress 6.9.4, and it relies on jQuery, so confirm it works on your current setup before you depend on it.

## 5. Image Hotspot - Map Image Annotation: Best for Annotations

This plugin, listed as Image Hotspot with Map Image Annotation, is built for adding custom tooltips and clickable hotspots to explain parts of an image. It has 56,164 active installs and a 98% rating from 22 reviews, sits at version 3.5, was last updated on June 7, 2026, and is tested up to WordPress 7.0.

![Image Hotspot Map Image Annotation plugin page on WordPress.org](https://iad.microlink.io/uDMiykszN59_TKh5P9PG_9iPCBXhv5YpN8VOLJ15MZHwzn00iqCl5B0mxdq1CqBn9ue6u5NnIXyKuY2d5PRlCQ.png)Image Hotspot with Map Image Annotation focuses on tooltips for explaining parts of an image.
**Best for:** annotating diagrams, screenshots, and educational images.

**Worth knowing:** the free version covers the essentials well, and it is actively maintained, which is reassuring for a niche tool.

***Also Read:** if you actually need a location map rather than an image map, see the [best WordPress Google Maps plugins](https://nexterwp.com/blog/best-wordpress-google-map-plugins/).*

## 6. Nexter Blocks Hotspot Block: Best for the Block Editor

If you already build with the block editor, you may not need a standalone plugin at all. [Nexter Blocks](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-blocks/) is a free collection of 90+ Gutenberg blocks, and its Hotspot block adds interactive pins to any image right inside the editor.

You drop pins on your image, choose a text or image pin, attach a tooltip and a link to each one, decide whether pins open on hover or on click, and style the pin and its hover state. Because it is a native block, there is no shortcode to manage and nothing extra to load beyond the blocks you use.

![Nexter Blocks Hotspot block pin activation settings in the WordPress block editor](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/hotspot-activation-new-1.png)The Nexter Blocks Hotspot block lets you set hover or click activation for each pin.
**Best for:** anyone building with Gutenberg or a block theme who wants hotspots without adding another standalone plugin.

![Styling options for pins in the Nexter Blocks Hotspot block](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/hotspot-style-new.png)Pin and tooltip styling controls in the Nexter Blocks Hotspot block.

## Image Map and Hotspot Plugins Compared

| Plugin | Type | Price | Best for | Last updated |
| ------ | ---- | ----- | -------- | ------------ |
| Draw Attention | Standalone builder | Free + Pro | Best overall free | May 19, 2026 |
| Image Map Pro | Standalone (SVG) | $49 one-time | Premium polish | Jun 10, 2026 |
| PicPoints | Standalone builder | Free | Modern, dev-friendly | Jul 1, 2026 |
| Image Hotspot by DevVN | Hotspot | Free + Pro | Simple tooltips | Dec 11, 2025 |
| Image Hotspot (Map Annotation) | Hotspot | Free | Annotations | Jun 7, 2026 |
| Nexter Blocks Hotspot | Block-native | Free | Block editor users | Actively maintained |

## How to Choose the Right Image Map Plugin

If you build with the block editor, start with the Nexter Blocks Hotspot block and skip the extra plugin. If you want the safest, most widely supported standalone tool, Draw Attention is the default choice. If you need premium SVG polish and do not mind a one-time cost, Image Map Pro is worth it. If you have been burned by theme conflicts or you are a developer, PicPoints and its isolated rendering will feel safer. And if you only need quick tooltips on a photo, Image Hotspot by DevVN or the Map Image Annotation plugin will get you there fast.

## How to Add an Image Hotspot in WordPress

Here is the quickest path using the free Nexter Blocks Hotspot block:

- Install and activate Nexter Blocks from the WordPress plugin directory.- Edit a page or post, add the Hotspot block, and upload your base image.- Click on the image to drop a pin, then set its tooltip text or image and an optional link.- Choose whether pins open on hover or on click, and style the pin and hover colors.- Publish, then open the page on a phone to confirm the pins sit where you expect.
New to the block editor? Our guide on [what Gutenberg is](https://nexterwp.com/blog/what-is-gutenberg/) walks through the basics before you add your first hotspot.

## Suggested Reading

- [Best WordPress Google Maps Plugins](https://nexterwp.com/blog/best-wordpress-google-map-plugins/)- [Gutenberg vs Elementor: Which Builder to Use](https://nexterwp.com/blog/gutenberg-vs-elementor/)- [What Is Gutenberg? A Beginner's Guide](https://nexterwp.com/blog/what-is-gutenberg/)- [Best WordPress Button Plugins](https://nexterwp.com/blog/wordpress-button-plugins/)- [Best Counter Plugins for WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/best-counter-plugins-for-wordpress/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the best free WordPress image map plugin?

Draw Attention is the most popular free image map plugin, with over a million active installs and a 98% rating. It is the safest starting point for most sites.

### What is the difference between an image map and a hotspot?

An image map divides one image into several clickable areas, each with its own link. A hotspot is a single pin or marker placed on an image that shows a tooltip or link when hovered or tapped. Many plugins offer both.

### Do image map plugins work with the WordPress block editor?

Yes. Some are block-native, like the Nexter Blocks Hotspot block, so you add them like any other block. Others output a shortcode you paste into a Shortcode block, which also works fine in the editor.

### Are image maps responsive on mobile?

Modern tools like Draw Attention, Image Map Pro, and PicPoints scale their maps for small screens. Always test on a real phone, and be more careful with older jQuery-based plugins.

### Do image maps slow down a WordPress site?

A few pins add very little weight. The bigger factor is the base image, so compress it and serve an appropriately sized file. Avoid loading a huge unoptimized image just to place hotspots on it.

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