Lightweight Social Icons vs Simple Social Icons
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
Simple Social Icons leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #442, ahead of Lightweight Social Icons at #1,087. Over the last 7 days Simple Social Icons held its place and Lightweight Social Icons slipped 2 places. Simple Social Icons has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 100K+ active installs against 20K+ for Lightweight Social Icons. Downloads this week: Simple Social Icons 2,528 and Lightweight Social Icons 218. Ratings: Lightweight Social Icons 4.7★ from 63 and Simple Social Icons 4.3★ from 92 reviews.
| Metric | Lightweight Social Icons | Simple Social Icons |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,087 ▼ 2 | #442 ▬ |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 218 | 2,528 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (63) | 4.3★ (92) |
| Last updated | Mar 18, 2020 | Sep 17, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.1 | 4.1.0 |
| Best rank on record | #1,062 | #437 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2014 | Feb 2012 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 2 | 3 |
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, Lightweight Social Icons or Simple Social Icons?
By active installs, Simple Social Icons: 100K+ sites run it against 20K+ for Lightweight Social Icons, according to WordPress.org figures captured on November 1, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightweight Social Icons or Simple Social Icons?
Simple Social Icons, at #442 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Lightweight Social Icons at #1,087. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Lightweight Social Icons or Simple Social Icons 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.