Content Aware Sidebars vs Widget Options
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
Widget Options leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #378, ahead of Content Aware Sidebars at #1,000. Over the last 7 days Widget Options climbed 2 places and Content Aware Sidebars climbed 1 place. Widget Options has the largest install base, roughly 3.3× the next: 100K+ active installs against 30K+ for Content Aware Sidebars. Downloads this week: Widget Options 2,197 and Content Aware Sidebars 481. Ratings: Content Aware Sidebars 4.9★ from 724 and Widget Options 4.9★ from 1,516 reviews.
| Metric | Content Aware Sidebars | Widget Options |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,000 ▲ 1 | #378 ▲ 2 |
| Active installs | 30K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 481 | 2,197 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (724) | 4.9★ (1,516) |
| Last updated | Dec 9, 2025 | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Current version | 3.21.3 | 4.2.5 |
| Best rank on record | #994 | #371 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2011 | Feb 2016 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 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, Content Aware Sidebars or Widget Options?
By active installs, Widget Options: 100K+ sites run it against 30K+ for Content Aware Sidebars, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 20, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Content Aware Sidebars or Widget Options?
Widget Options, at #378 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Content Aware Sidebars at #1,000. 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 Widget Options 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.