Meta Box vs Sydney Toolbox
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
Meta Box leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #128, ahead of Sydney Toolbox at #746. Over the last 7 days Meta Box held its place and Sydney Toolbox climbed 1 place. Meta Box has the largest install base, roughly 10× the next: 500K+ active installs against 50K+ for Sydney Toolbox. Downloads this week: Meta Box 46,685 and Sydney Toolbox 3,384. Ratings: Meta Box 4.8★ from 165 and Sydney Toolbox 2.3★ from 15 reviews.
| Metric | Meta Box | Sydney Toolbox |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #128 ▬ | #746 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 500K+ | 50K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 46,685 | 3,384 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (165) | 2.3★ (15) |
| Last updated | Oct 20, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 |
| Current version | 5.15.3 | 1.37 |
| Best rank on record | #124 | #728 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2011 | Mar 2016 |
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
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- Sydney Toolbox vs Pods - Custom Content Types and Fields
- Sydney Toolbox vs Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK
- Sydney Toolbox vs Apollo13 Framework Extensions
- Sydney Toolbox vs Secure Custom Fields
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Meta Box or Sydney Toolbox?
By active installs, Meta Box: 500K+ sites run it against 50K+ for Sydney Toolbox, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Meta Box or Sydney Toolbox?
Meta Box, at #128 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Sydney Toolbox at #746. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Meta Box or Sydney Toolbox 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.