WordPress plugin comparison
Contextual Category Widget vs Custom Sidebars
At a glance
- Custom Sidebars has more active installs: 100K+, against 10+ for Contextual Category Widget.
- On a typical day, Custom Sidebars is downloaded about 230 times, Contextual Category Widget about 2.
- Contextual Category Widget has no reviews yet.
- Custom Sidebars was updated more recently: Aug 16, 2026, against Jul 28, 2026 for Contextual Category Widget.
- Custom Sidebars is tested with a newer WordPress: 7.1.4, against 7.0.8 for Contextual Category Widget.
- Custom Sidebars has been around longer: since 2010, against 2019 for Contextual Category Widget.
Line by line
Custom Sidebars leads on 6 of 6 comparable lines.
| Metric |  Contextual Category Widget |  Custom Sidebars |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | #45,452 | #449 |
| Active installs | 10+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 52 | 6.3K |
| Rating | No ratings | 4.7(1K) |
| Support threads resolved | – | 100% |
| Tested up to | 7.0.8 | 7.1.4 |
| Search multiplier | ×0.13 | ×1.31 |
| Last release | 3 months ago | 2 months ago |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 5.6 |
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
More comparisons
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- Custom Sidebars vs Content Aware Sidebars
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- Custom Sidebars vs Image Widget
- Custom Sidebars vs Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
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