Essential Widgets

70 Quality Score

Active Installs

18/30

With 10,000 active installs, the plugin sits in the lower tier of adoption compared to top alternatives in its category.

Update Freshness

25/25

The plugin was updated very recently and is fully compatible with the latest WordPress, signalling an actively maintained project.

User Rating

4/15

Only two users have rated this plugin, and the 70/100 score gives a thin and unreliable signal of satisfaction.

Support Health

8/15

One support thread exists and it has been resolved, which is a positive sign but the sample size is too small to draw firm conclusions.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Full marks for compatibility, since it supports the latest WordPress 7.0 and works on PHP 7.4, which covers most modern hosting environments.

Scores higher than 23% of indexed plugins

About

Essential Widgets is a WordPress plugin for widgets that allows you to create and add amazing widgets with high customization option

Active Installs 10k+

Rating ★★★½ 3.5/5

Last Updated 2026-06-18 5:55am GMT

Requires WordPress 5.9+

Tested Up To 7.0.4

Requires PHP 7.4+

Security History

3 known vulnerabilities, all patched

3 Medium

Most recent: February 4, 2026

View details ▸

What It Does

Essential Widgets is a WordPress plugin that lets you create and configure widgets for displaying content like posts, categories, pages, and tags across your site. It focuses on giving site owners a simple toolkit for organizing content through customizable widget blocks, without requiring code.

Who It's For

This plugin fits small to mid-sized WordPress sites that need flexible sidebar and footer content displays, such as blogs, directories, news portals, and portfolio showcases. It is best suited for site owners who want a lightweight widget solution and are comfortable with basic configuration.

Who Should Skip It

If you already use a full page builder or a theme that ships with extensive widget bundles, you can safely skip this plugin. Large-scale marketplaces and enterprise sites with heavy traffic should look at more mature alternatives with proven track records.

The Bottom Line

Essential Widgets delivers solid maintenance and compatibility, but the small install base and limited ratings make it hard to recommend over proven alternatives like SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle or WP Popular Posts. It can work for a small site with modest widget needs, yet most users will find better-tested options in the same category. Score of 69.61/100 places it in the average range with room to grow.

Related Plugins

WP Popular Posts 89/100

Choose WP Popular Posts if your main goal is surfacing trending or most-viewed content in widget areas, with 100,000 installs and a stronger 89.39 score.

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 87/100

Pick SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle when you need a far larger library of widget types, backed by 400,000 installs and a 87.29 quality score.

One Click Demo Import 87/100

One Click Demo Import is the better fit if your real need is importing demo content and starter sites rather than building custom widgets.

Blocksy Companion 86/100

Blocksy Companion makes more sense if you already use the Blocksy theme and want tightly integrated companion widgets and features.

GenerateBlocks 86/100

GenerateBlocks is the stronger pick for users who prefer block-based design over traditional widgets, with a 85.94 quality score.