WordPress plugin comparison

Content Aware Sidebars vs Multicolumn Category Widget

Content Aware Sidebars

by Joachim Jensen

30K+ installs4.9

Multicolumn Category Widget

by Arno Welzel

300+ installs4.2

At a glance

Content Aware Sidebars has more active installs: 30K+, against 300+ for Multicolumn Category Widget.
On a typical day, Content Aware Sidebars is downloaded about 330 times, Multicolumn Category Widget about 7.
Content Aware Sidebars is rated higher: 4.9 out of 5 from 724 reviews, against 4.2 from 5 reviews.
Content Aware Sidebars was updated more recently: Oct 23, 2026, against Aug 13, 2026 for Multicolumn Category Widget.
Both are tested up to WordPress 7.1.4.
Content Aware Sidebars has been around longer: since 2011, against 2014 for Multicolumn Category Widget.

Content Aware Sidebars leads on 6 of 6 comparable lines.

Metric	Content Aware Sidebars	Multicolumn Category Widget
Popular rank	#999	#10,403
Active installs	30K+	300+
Downloads, last 30 days	21.4K	205
Rating	4.9(724)	4.2(5)
Support threads resolved	0%	–
Tested up to	7.1.4	7.1.4
Search multiplier	×0.99	×0.46
Last release	18 days ago	2 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.

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