WordPress plugin comparison
Lightweight Social Icons vs Social Media Shortcodes
Lightweight Social Icons
by Tom
20K+ installs4.7
Social Media Shortcodes
by Michael Beckwith
40+ installs5.0
At a glance
- Lightweight Social Icons has more active installs: 20K+, against 40+ for Social Media Shortcodes.
- On a typical day, Lightweight Social Icons is downloaded about 28 times, Social Media Shortcodes about 4.
- Social Media Shortcodes is rated higher: 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews, against 4.7 from 63 reviews.
- Social Media Shortcodes was updated more recently: Sep 10, 2025, against Mar 18, 2020 for Lightweight Social Icons.
- Social Media Shortcodes is tested with a newer WordPress: 6.8.12, against 5.4.25 for Lightweight Social Icons.
- Social Media Shortcodes has been around longer: since 2012, against 2014 for Lightweight Social Icons.
Line by line
Social Media Shortcodes leads on 4 of 7 comparable lines.
| Metric | Lightweight Social Icons | Social Media Shortcodes |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | #1,092 | #22,409 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 40+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 797 | 68 |
| Rating | 4.7(63) | 5.0(2) |
| Support threads resolved | – | – |
| Tested up to | 5.4.25 | 6.8.12 |
| Search multiplier | ×0.00 | ×0.14 |
| Last release | 6 years ago | 1 year ago |
| Requires PHP | – | 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
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