Column Shortcodes vs Shortcodes Ultimate
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Shortcodes Ultimate leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #146, ahead of Column Shortcodes at #649. Over the last 7 days Shortcodes Ultimate slipped 1 place and Column Shortcodes climbed 3 places. Shortcodes Ultimate has the largest install base, roughly 6.7× the next: 400K+ active installs against 60K+ for Column Shortcodes. Downloads this week: Shortcodes Ultimate 9,881 and Column Shortcodes 251. Ratings: Column Shortcodes 4.8★ from 134 and Shortcodes Ultimate 4.9★ from 5,924 reviews.
| Metric | Column Shortcodes | Shortcodes Ultimate |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #649 ▲ 3 | #146 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 60K+ | 400K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 251 | 9,881 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (134) | 4.9★ (5,924) |
| Last updated | Oct 11, 2022 | Jul 24, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.1 | 7.8.4 |
| Best rank on record | #649 | #145 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2012 | Apr 2011 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 4 | 2 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Column Shortcodes or Shortcodes Ultimate?
By active installs, Shortcodes Ultimate: 400K+ sites run it against 60K+ for Column Shortcodes, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Column Shortcodes or Shortcodes Ultimate?
Shortcodes Ultimate, at #146 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Column Shortcodes at #649. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Column Shortcodes or Shortcodes Ultimate alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.