Content Aware Sidebars vs SMK Sidebar Generator
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 #998, ahead of SMK Sidebar Generator at #1,762. Over the last 7 days Content Aware Sidebars climbed 2 places and SMK Sidebar Generator held its place. Content Aware Sidebars has the largest install base, roughly 3× the next: 30K+ active installs against 10K+ for SMK Sidebar Generator. Downloads this week: Content Aware Sidebars 16,231 and SMK Sidebar Generator 414. Ratings: Content Aware Sidebars 4.9★ from 724 and SMK Sidebar Generator 4.4★ from 5 reviews.
| Metric | Content Aware Sidebars | SMK Sidebar Generator |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #998 ▲ 2 | #1,762 ▬ |
| Active installs | 30K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 16,231 | 414 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (724) | 4.4★ (5) |
| Last updated | Oct 23, 2026 | Feb 17, 2026 |
| Current version | 3.21.4 | 3.6.0 |
| Best rank on record | #994 | #1,723 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2011 | Jan 2014 |
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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- SMK Sidebar Generator vs Custom Sidebars
- SMK Sidebar Generator vs Image Widget
- SMK Sidebar Generator vs Meks Simple Flickr Widget
- SMK Sidebar Generator vs Fixed Widget
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Content Aware Sidebars or SMK Sidebar Generator?
By active installs, Content Aware Sidebars: 30K+ sites run it against 10K+ for SMK Sidebar Generator, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Content Aware Sidebars or SMK Sidebar Generator?
Content Aware Sidebars, at #998 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with SMK Sidebar Generator at #1,762. 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 SMK Sidebar Generator 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.