WordPress plugin comparison

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails vs Shortcodes in Sidebar

At a glance

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails has more active installs: 100K+, against 400+ for Shortcodes in Sidebar.
On a typical day, Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails is downloaded about 594 times, Shortcodes in Sidebar about 7.
Shortcodes in Sidebar is rated higher: 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews, against 4.8 from 215 reviews.
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails was updated more recently: Oct 10, 2026, against Aug 10, 2026 for Shortcodes in Sidebar.
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails is tested with a newer WordPress: 7.1.4, against 7.0.8 for Shortcodes in Sidebar.
Shortcodes in Sidebar has been around longer: since 2011, against 2014 for Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails.

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails leads on 6 of 7 comparable lines.

Metric	Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails	Shortcodes in Sidebar
Popular rank	#353	#9,404
Active installs	100K+	400+
Downloads, last 30 days	18.7K	120
Rating	4.8(215)	5.0(2)
Support threads resolved	100%	–
Tested up to	7.1.4	7.0.8
Search multiplier	×1.50	×0.53
Last release	1 month ago	3 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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