Visual CSS Style Editor vs AppearanceTools (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Visual CSS Style Editor

Visual CSS Style Editor

4.1(90)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 months ago
View Visual CSS Style Editor
VS
AppearanceTools

AppearanceTools

0(0)

30 active installs

Free

Updated 3 years ago
View AppearanceTools

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Visual CSS Style Editor has a higher user rating (4.1/5 from 90 reviews) and leads in active installations (40K+ vs 30). Both are free WordPress plugins. Visual CSS Style Editor has accumulated 1.5M+ total downloads while AppearanceTools has 1.1K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.1/5Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceToolsN/A
Total Reviews
90Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools0
Active Installs
40K+Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools30
Total Downloads
1.5M+Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools1.1K+
Support Resolution
N/AVisual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceToolsN/A
Last Updated
3 months agoVisual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools3 years ago
First Released
2015Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools2023
Age
11 yearsVisual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools3 years
WP Requires
4.0+Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools6.1+
PHP Requires
false+Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools7.0+
Business Model
FreeVisual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceToolsFree
Latest Version
7.6.7Visual CSS Style Editor
AppearanceTools1.0.0

Rating Breakdown

Visual CSS Style Editor

4.1/5(90 reviews)
5
74%
4
2%
3
1%
2
2%
1
20%

AppearanceTools

0/5(0 reviews)
5
0%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

Visual CSS Style Editor Reviews

by It's All... Entertainment & Star Wars

Doesn’t Work

The plugin doesn’t work on wordpress.com hosted web sites, which is a pity as the self-hosted wordpress.org site worked great!

by ayinde4u

Effortlessly working

Yes, it is wonderful. It needs little effort to use.

by zinizcheng77

Not free

there is no free plugin, so buy one and try. If you are not satisfied, learn CSS yourself!

AppearanceTools Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Visual CSS Style Editor or AppearanceTools more popular?
Visual CSS Style Editor has 40K+ active installations while AppearanceTools has 30. Visual CSS Style Editor is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Visual CSS Style Editor or AppearanceTools?
Visual CSS Style Editor has a 4.1/5 rating from 90 reviews, while AppearanceTools has a 0/5 rating from 0 reviews.
Are Visual CSS Style Editor and AppearanceTools free?
Visual CSS Style Editor is free and AppearanceTools is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Visual CSS Style Editor or AppearanceTools?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Visual CSS Style Editor was last updated 3 months ago and AppearanceTools was last updated 3 years ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.