WordPress plugin comparison
Custom Sidebars vs NS Category Widget
At a glance
- Custom Sidebars has more active installs: 100K+, against 1K+ for NS Category Widget.
- On a typical day, Custom Sidebars is downloaded about 226 times, NS Category Widget about 13.
- NS Category Widget is rated higher: 4.8 out of 5 from 34 reviews, against 4.7 from 1,028 reviews.
- Custom Sidebars was updated more recently: Aug 16, 2026, against Sep 12, 2025 for NS Category Widget.
- Custom Sidebars is tested with a newer WordPress: 7.1.4, against 6.8.12 for NS Category Widget.
- Custom Sidebars has been around longer: since 2010, against 2013 for NS Category Widget.
Line by line
Custom Sidebars leads on 6 of 7 comparable lines.
| Metric |  Custom Sidebars |  NS Category Widget |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | #448 | #6,170 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 6.4K | 199 |
| Rating | 4.7(1K) | 4.8(34) |
| Support threads resolved | 100% | – |
| Tested up to | 7.1.4 | 6.8.12 |
| Search multiplier | ×1.31 | ×0.30 |
| Last release | 2 months ago | 1 year ago |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | 7.2.24 |
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
- Custom Sidebars vs Content Aware Sidebars
- Custom Sidebars vs SMK Sidebar Generator
- Custom Sidebars vs Image Widget
- Custom Sidebars vs Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
- NS Category Widget vs List Custom Taxonomy Widget
- NS Category Widget vs Image Widget
- NS Category Widget vs Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
- NS Category Widget vs Fixed Widget and Sticky Elements for WordPress
Is one of these yours?
Track your plugin against its rivals every day: rank, installs, downloads, ratings and their releases, with alerts when anything moves.
Start free