WordPress plugin comparison
Better Widgets vs Essential Widgets
Better Widgets
by shaunandrews
Fewer than 10 installs5.0
Essential Widgets
by Catch Themes
10K+ installs3.5
At a glance
- Essential Widgets has more active installs: 10K+, against fewer than 10 for Better Widgets.
- On a typical day, Essential Widgets is downloaded about 75 times, Better Widgets about 1.
- Better Widgets is rated higher: 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews, against 3.5 from 2 reviews.
- Essential Widgets was updated more recently: Jun 18, 2026, against Jan 22, 2014 for Better Widgets.
- Better Widgets has been around longer: since 2013, against 2017 for Essential Widgets.
Line by line
Essential Widgets leads on 4 of 5 comparable lines.
| Metric | Better Widgets | Essential Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | – | #1,810 |
| Active installs | Fewer than 10 | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 26 | 1.8K |
| Rating | 5.0(2) | 3.5(2) |
| Support threads resolved | – | 100% |
| Tested up to | – | 7.0.8 |
| Search multiplier | ×0.00 | ×0.86 |
| Last release | 12 years ago | 4 months ago |
| Requires PHP | – | 7.4 |
From WordPress.org's public data, refreshed every night. Downloads are WordPress.org's official daily figures for the last 30 days.
Tags they share
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