Custom Sidebars vs Recent Posts Widget Plus
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
Custom Sidebars leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #446, ahead of Recent Posts Widget Plus at #9,015. Over the last 7 days Custom Sidebars slipped 1 place and Recent Posts Widget Plus slipped 82 places. Custom Sidebars has the largest install base, roughly 200× the next: 100K+ active installs against 500+ for Recent Posts Widget Plus. Downloads this week: Custom Sidebars 1,110 and Recent Posts Widget Plus 45. Ratings: Custom Sidebars 4.7★ from 1,028 and Recent Posts Widget Plus 5★ from 1 reviews.
| Metric | Custom Sidebars | Recent Posts Widget Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #446 ▼ 1 | #9,015 ▼ 82 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 500+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,110 | 45 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (1,028) | 5★ (1) |
| Last updated | Aug 16, 2026 | Oct 30, 2023 |
| Current version | 3.38 | 1.2.1 |
| Best rank on record | #439 | #8,910 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2010 | Jun 2012 |
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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- Recent Posts Widget Plus vs SMK Sidebar Generator
- Recent Posts Widget Plus vs Content Aware Sidebars
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Custom Sidebars or Recent Posts Widget Plus?
By active installs, Custom Sidebars: 100K+ sites run it against 500+ for Recent Posts Widget Plus, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Custom Sidebars or Recent Posts Widget Plus?
Custom Sidebars, at #446 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Recent Posts Widget Plus at #9,015. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Custom Sidebars or Recent Posts Widget Plus 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.