Advanced Sidebar Menu vs Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes
1.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Advanced Sidebar Menu has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 37 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Sidebar Menu has accumulated 1.4M+ total downloads while Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes has 21K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Advanced Sidebar Menu | Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | ◄ | N/A |
| Total Reviews | 37 | ◄ | 0 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.4M+ | ◄ | 21K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 months ago | ◄ | 3 years ago |
| First Released | 2011 | 2016 | |
| Age | 15 years | 10 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.2.0+ | 5.2+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4.0+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 9.8.3 | 1.0.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Advanced Sidebar Menu
Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Advanced Sidebar Menu averaged approximately 57 daily downloads while Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes averaged 4.
Recent Reviews
Advanced Sidebar Menu Reviews
Really useful product
I downloaded and installed it , and while there wasn’t an option of floating icons I wanted, it got the job done
Pro version is a disaster
The pro version of this plugin is a disaster. As soon as you activate it, it renders your menu items invisible. Also to get the full benefit of it you have to install the Classic Sidebar plugin as t
Doesn’t work
I’d love to have a plugin like this but I can’t make it work. Best I can do is make a list of categories, but I can’t get it to list individual posts within a category. Tried everything. Nothing works
Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes Reviews
No reviews yet
More Sidebars Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Advanced Sidebar Menu and Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes
WooSidebars adds functionality to display different widgets in a sidebar, according to a context (for example, a specific page or a category).
Generates an unlimited number of sidebars and place them on any page you wish. Go to Theme Panel > Sidebars to create your custom sidebars.
The Per Page Sidebars (PPS) plugin allows blog administrators to create a unique sidebar for each Page. No template editing is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.