Content Aware Sidebars vs Ocean Custom Sidebar
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
Content Aware Sidebars leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,002, ahead of Ocean Custom Sidebar at #1,109. Over the last 7 days Content Aware Sidebars held its place and Ocean Custom Sidebar climbed 3 places. Content Aware Sidebars has the largest install base, roughly 1.5× the next: 30K+ active installs against 20K+ for Ocean Custom Sidebar. Downloads this week: Ocean Custom Sidebar 857 and Content Aware Sidebars 501. Ratings: Content Aware Sidebars 4.9★ from 724 and Ocean Custom Sidebar 5★ from 8 reviews.
| Metric | Content Aware Sidebars | Ocean Custom Sidebar |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,002 ▬ | #1,109 ▲ 3 |
| Active installs | 30K+ | 20K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 501 | 857 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (724) | 5★ (8) |
| Last updated | Dec 9, 2025 | Aug 18, 2026 |
| Current version | 3.21.3 | 1.1.6 |
| Best rank on record | #994 | #1,107 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2011 | Nov 2016 |
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, Content Aware Sidebars or Ocean Custom Sidebar?
By active installs, Content Aware Sidebars: 30K+ sites run it against 20K+ for Ocean Custom Sidebar, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 13, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Content Aware Sidebars or Ocean Custom Sidebar?
Content Aware Sidebars, at #1,002 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Ocean Custom Sidebar at #1,109. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Content Aware Sidebars or Ocean Custom Sidebar 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.