Desert Companion vs Custom Front Page
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
Desert Companion leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,439, ahead of Custom Front Page at #7,195. Over the last 7 days Desert Companion climbed 1 place and Custom Front Page slipped 10 places. Desert Companion has the largest install base, roughly 11× the next: 10K+ active installs against 900+ for Custom Front Page. Downloads this week: Desert Companion 1,290 and Custom Front Page 51. Ratings: Desert Companion 3.7★ from 3 and Custom Front Page 4.4★ from 7 reviews.
| Metric | Desert Companion | Custom Front Page |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,439 ▲ 1 | #7,195 ▼ 10 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 900+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,290 | 51 |
| Rating | 3.7★ (3) | 4.4★ (7) |
| Last updated | Oct 6, 2026 | Dec 13, 2020 |
| Current version | 1.4 | 1.1.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,406 | #7,163 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2022 | Oct 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
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Desert Companion or Custom Front Page?
By active installs, Desert Companion: 10K+ sites run it against 900+ for Custom Front Page, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Desert Companion or Custom Front Page?
Desert Companion, at #1,439 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Custom Front Page at #7,195. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Desert Companion or Custom Front Page 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.