Simple Social Icons vs Social Media Shortcodes
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 Social Media Shortcodes at #23,052. Over the last 7 days Simple Social Icons slipped 1 place and Social Media Shortcodes climbed 361 places. Simple Social Icons has the largest install base, roughly 3333× the next: 100K+ active installs against 30+ for Social Media Shortcodes. Downloads this week: Simple Social Icons 3,142 and Social Media Shortcodes 15. Ratings: Simple Social Icons 4.3★ from 92 and Social Media Shortcodes 5★ from 2 reviews.
| Metric | Simple Social Icons | Social Media Shortcodes |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #442 ▼ 1 | #23,052 ▲ 361 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 30+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 3,142 | 15 |
| Rating | 4.3★ (92) | 5★ (2) |
| Last updated | Sep 17, 2026 | Sep 10, 2025 |
| Current version | 4.1.0 | 1.3.2 |
| Best rank on record | #437 | #23,052 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2012 | Aug 2012 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 3 | 0 |
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, Simple Social Icons or Social Media Shortcodes?
By active installs, Simple Social Icons: 100K+ sites run it against 30+ for Social Media Shortcodes, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 25, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Simple Social Icons or Social Media Shortcodes?
Simple Social Icons, at #442 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Social Media Shortcodes at #23,052. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Simple Social Icons or Social Media Shortcodes 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.