Social Media Widget vs Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing 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
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #415, ahead of Social Media Widget at #10,666. Over the last 7 days Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons slipped 1 place and Social Media Widget climbed 87 places. Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons has the largest install base, roughly 333× the next: 100K+ active installs against 300+ for Social Media Widget. Downloads this week: Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 4,970 and Social Media Widget 36. Ratings: Social Media Widget 5★ from 1 and Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 4.8★ from 5,333 reviews.
| Metric | Social Media Widget | Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #10,666 ▲ 87 | #415 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 300+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 36 | 4,970 |
| Rating | 5★ (1) | 4.8★ (5,333) |
| Last updated | Jun 4, 2016 | Sep 18, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0 | 3.0.2 |
| Best rank on record | #10,628 | #402 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2016 | Sep 2014 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 1 |
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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- Social Media Widget vs Shortcode Widget
- Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons vs AddToAny Share Buttons
- Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons vs Buttonizer - Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds
- Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons vs Genesis Simple Share
- Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons vs Meks Easy Social Share
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Social Media Widget or Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons?
By active installs, Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons: 100K+ sites run it against 300+ for Social Media Widget, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Social Media Widget or Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons?
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons, at #415 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Social Media Widget at #10,666. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Social Media Widget or Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing 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.