WordPress plugin comparison

Custom Sidebars vs Multiple Category Selection Widget

Custom Sidebars

by WebFactory

100K+ installs4.7

Multiple Category Selection Widget

by zackdesign

100+ installs2.9

At a glance

Custom Sidebars has more active installs: 100K+, against 100+ for Multiple Category Selection Widget.
On a typical day, Custom Sidebars is downloaded about 230 times, Multiple Category Selection Widget about 6.
Custom Sidebars is rated higher: 4.7 out of 5 from 1,028 reviews, against 2.9 from 14 reviews.
Custom Sidebars was updated more recently: Aug 16, 2026, against Feb 23, 2026 for Multiple Category Selection Widget.
Custom Sidebars is tested with a newer WordPress: 7.1.4, against 6.9.11 for Multiple Category Selection Widget.
Multiple Category Selection Widget has been around longer: since 2008, against 2010 for Custom Sidebars.

Custom Sidebars leads on 7 of 7 comparable lines.

Metric	Custom Sidebars	Multiple Category Selection Widget
Popular rank	#449	#13,848
Active installs	100K+	100+
Downloads, last 30 days	6.3K	156
Rating	4.7(1K)	2.9(14)
Support threads resolved	100%	–
Tested up to	7.1.4	6.9.11
Search multiplier	×1.31	×0.22
Last release	2 months ago	8 months ago
Requires PHP	5.6	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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