Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin
v3.21.4by Joachim Jensen · updated 16 days ago
Display new sidebars on any post, page, category etc. Works with Classic Widgets, Block Widgets, and all themes!
- Rank
- #999
- No change0 vs yesterday
- Active installs (est.)
- ≈ 34,000
- 30K+ reported · Medium
- Total downloads
- 1.7M
- 1,686,103 all-time
- Rating
- 4.9/5
- 724 reviews
- Support resolved
- 0%
- 0 of 1 threads, last 2 months
Content Aware Sidebars at a glance
Content Aware Sidebars is a WordPress plugin by Joachim Jensen with 30K+ active installs, the #999 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 378 times, 214% more than the month before. It’s rated 4.9 out of 5 from 724 reviews. Version 3.21.4 came out on Oct 23, 2026 and is tested up to WordPress 7.1.4. It leads the 11 plugins tagged “custom sidebars”. It was first released in 2011.
Chart time range
Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 9, 2026, 31 days.
Downloads over time
Download stats21.2K downloads · the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Content Aware Sidebars |
|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | 194 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | 287 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 310 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 361 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 350 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 394 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 272 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 269 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 455 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 1,041 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 1,461 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 709 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 1,038 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 662 |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 2,422 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 9,719 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 220 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 189 |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 77 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 76 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 53 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 56 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 58 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 78 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 76 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 84 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 73 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 65 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 56 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 86 |
Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.
Estimated installs
≈ 33,995 · -1.8% in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Approximate, from band changes | Estimated installs |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | – | 33,995 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | – | 33,997 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | – | 34,076 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | – | 34,054 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | – | 34,093 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | – | 34,168 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | – | 34,169 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | – | 34,223 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | – | 34,341 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | – | 34,368 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | – | 34,409 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 34,460 | 34,460 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 34,468 | – |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 34,476 | – |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 34,484 | – |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 34,491 | – |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 34,499 | – |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 34,507 | – |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 34,515 | – |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 34,523 | – |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 34,531 | – |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 34,538 | – |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 34,546 | – |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 34,554 | – |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 34,562 | – |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 34,570 | – |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 34,578 | – |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 34,585 | – |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 34,593 | – |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 34,601 | – |
Rank over time
#999 · up 4 in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | #999 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | #999 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | #999 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | #999 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | #1,000 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | #999 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | #999 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | #1,000 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | #999 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | #998 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | #997 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | #998 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | #998 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | #1,003 |
Growth %
Average -0.06% a day in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Approximate, from band changes | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | – | -0.01% |
| Nov 7, 2026 | – | -0.12% |
| Nov 5, 2026 | – | +0.07% |
| Nov 4, 2026 | – | -0.11% |
| Nov 3, 2026 | – | -0.22% |
| Nov 2, 2026 | – | -0.00% |
| Nov 1, 2026 | – | -0.16% |
| Oct 31, 2026 | – | -0.34% |
| Oct 30, 2026 | – | -0.08% |
| Oct 29, 2026 | – | -0.12% |
| Oct 28, 2026 | – | -0.15% |
| Oct 27, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 26, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 25, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 24, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 23, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 22, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 21, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 20, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 19, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 18, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 17, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 16, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 15, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 14, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 13, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 12, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 11, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
| Oct 10, 2026 | -0.02% | – |
Active installs band
30K+ on WordPress.org
View as table
| Date | Internet Archive | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 7, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 6, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 5, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 4, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 3, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 2, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Nov 1, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 31, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 30, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 29, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 28, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 27, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 16, 2026 | – | 30K+ |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 30K+ | – |
Dashed lines are older history, read from monthly Internet Archive captures of WordPress.org from before our daily snapshots began (Oct 16, 2026). Rank appears where a capture listed the plugin on the popular pages. Estimated installs and growth back then are approximate: a straight line between the months WordPress.org's rounded number changed.
Search rankings
Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.
See where Content Aware Sidebars ranks in search
Track this plugin to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.
Change log
From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org- Rank #998 → #999Downloads +51.6%
- Tested up to 7.1.3 → 7.1.4
- Rank #1003 → #999Downloads +332.1%
- Tested up to 6.9.10 → 7.1.3
- Released 3.21.4 (was 3.21.3)
Versions in use
Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.
- v3.2173%
- v3.195.0%
- Other22%
Rating trend
4.9★★★★★724 reviews · steady in the last 30 days
Requirements & info
Version history- Version
- 3.21.4
- Requires WordPress
- 5.8
- Tested up to
- 7.1.4
- Requires PHP
- 7.4
- First released
- Aug 3, 2011
- Last updated
- Oct 23, 2026
- Releases, last 12 months
- …
Questions about Content Aware Sidebars
How many websites use Content Aware Sidebars?
Content Aware Sidebars is active on 30K+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #999 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.
How many times has Content Aware Sidebars been downloaded?
1,686,103 times in total since 2011. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 378 times. See download stats
When was Content Aware Sidebars last updated?
Version 3.21.4 came out on Oct 23, 2026 (2 weeks ago). See every release
Is Content Aware Sidebars compatible with the latest WordPress?
Yes. It’s tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current version.
Does Content Aware Sidebars have known security vulnerabilities?
None that affect the current version. WPVulnerability’s database lists 7 older issues, fixed in earlier versions, so keep Content Aware Sidebars up to date. See its security record
Is Content Aware Sidebars still maintained?
Yes. Its last release was 2 weeks ago. Its authors resolved 0 of the 1 support threads opened in the last two months.
What rating does Content Aware Sidebars have?
4.9 out of 5 from 724 reviews on WordPress.org. 95% of them give 5 stars.
What are the best alternatives to Content Aware Sidebars?
The plugins most like Content Aware Sidebars, by the tags they share, are Custom Sidebars (100K+), Image Widget (100K+) and Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails (100K+). Compare all alternatives
Latest reviews
Analyze reviewsReview stats
4.9
★★★★★
724 reviews
- 5 stars: 689 reviews, 95%
- 4 stars: 17 reviews, 2%
- 3 stars: 2 reviews, 0%
- 2 stars: 4 reviews, 1%
- 1 stars: 12 reviews, 2%
- Positive
- 98%4–5★
- Mixed
- 0%3★
- Critical
- 2%1–2★
- About 897 more 5★ reviews would lift it to 5.0.
- Each new 1★ review takes 35 five-star reviews to balance out.
Compare with competitors
Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Estimated installs | ≈ 34,000 |
| Reported installs | 30K+ |
| Rating | 4.9 |
| Reviews | 724 |
| Total downloads | 1.7M |
| Author | Joachim Jensen |
| First released | Aug 3, 2011 |
| Version | 3.21.4 |
| Requires WP | 5.8 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 |
| Last updated | Oct 23, 2026 |
Alternatives to Content Aware Sidebars
Compare all alternativesPopular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.

Custom Sidebars
by WebFactory
Flexible sidebars for custom classic widget configurations on any page or post. Create custom sidebars with ease!
- Rank
- #448
- Installs
- 100K+
- 4.7

Image Widget
by Nexcess
A simple image widget that uses the native WordPress media manager to add image widgets to your site.
- Rank
- #399
- Installs
- 100K+
- 4.9

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
by Kybernetik Services
List the most recent posts with post titles, thumbnails, excerpts, authors, categories, dates and more!
- Rank
- #353
- Installs
- 100K+
- 4.8

Fixed Widget and Sticky Elements for WordPress
by monetizemore
More attention and a higher ad performance with fixed sticky widgets.
- Rank
- #574
- Installs
- 70K+
- 4.7

Ocean Custom Sidebar
by oceanwp
Generates an unlimited number of sidebars and place them on any page you wish. Go to Theme Panel > Sidebars to create your custom sidebars.
- Rank
- #1,114
- Installs
- 20K+
- 5.0

SMK Sidebar Generator
by Andrei Surdu
Create unlimited custom sidebars and widget areas. Display different sidebars on specific pages, posts, or custom post types with conditional logic.
- Rank
- #1,761
- Installs
- 10K+
- 4.4
Side by side:Content Aware Sidebars vs Custom SidebarsContent Aware Sidebars vs Image WidgetContent Aware Sidebars vs Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
More by Joachim Jensen
See everything by Joachim JensenOther plugins from this author in our catalog.

Restrict User Access
by Joachim Jensen
Create Access Levels and restrict any post, page, category, etc. Supports bbPress, BuddyPress, WooCommerce, WPML, and more.
- Rank
- #1,552
- Installs
- 10K+
- 4.3
Page Sidebar for Twenty Seventeen
by Joachim Jensen
Add a page sidebar when using the Twenty Seventeen theme
- Rank
- #5,775
- Installs
- 1K+
- 3.8

Sectors
by Joachim Jensen
What if you could add templates, actions, and filters depending on the context?
- Rank
- #47,386
- Installs
- 10+