Compact WP Audio Player vs Spreaker Shortcode (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Compact WP Audio Player
20K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Compact WP Audio Player has a higher user rating (4.1/5 from 68 reviews) and leads in active installations (20K+ vs 4.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Compact WP Audio Player has accumulated 662K+ total downloads while Spreaker Shortcode has 97K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Compact WP Audio Player | Spreaker Shortcode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | ◄ | 3.3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 68 | ◄ | 9 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 4.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 662K+ | ◄ | 97K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 1 year ago |
| First Released | 2013 | 2011 | |
| Age | 13 years | 15 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.0+ | 2.5.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.9.15 | 1.8.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Compact WP Audio Player
Spreaker Shortcode
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Compact WP Audio Player averaged approximately 49 daily downloads while Spreaker Shortcode averaged 10.
Recent Reviews
Compact WP Audio Player Reviews
(Almost) exactly – and I mean exactly – what I was looking for. But…
Really love this plug in! I wanted exactly this – just a single, simple button, alternating between play and pause, allowing people to play or not as they saw fit, linking to an audio file in the back
Choosing other player images
It does what it promises very well. I have replaced the controls images with custom ones. Is it possible to get a code snippet to be able to choose between different “play” images? This to
The rarest thing, a simple clean, functional plugin
Ridiculously simple. Works well. I customised the play/pause images to fit the design of my website. It plays audio. Job done. Please keep supporting it, it’s great!
Spreaker Shortcode Reviews
Useless, Horrible, Terrible App – Can’t work on WordPress. Absolutely useless.
Useless, Horrible, Terrible App – Can’t work on WordPress. Absolutely useless. I can tell you – don’t bother. Find other ways.
Invalid header error during activation
Unable to activate plugin. I get an invalid header error message when doing so. I suspect it’s because the plugin has not been updated to be compatible with WordPress 5.9.3, which I run on my website.
Awful support!
The “Start play automatically” option doesn’t work or doesn’t exist anymore and the support never respond even though you are paying for a pro plan. Don’t waste time with this rubbish.
More Plugins Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Compact WP Audio Player and Spreaker Shortcode
EmbedPress lets you embed videos, pages, social feeds, embed PDF 3D flipbooks & other content on WordPress without coding & enhance storytelling.
Insert Pages lets you embed any WordPress content (e.g., pages, posts, custom post types) into other WordPress content using the Shortcode API.
Include content the way YOU like in an iframe that can hide and modify elements, does auto-height, forward parameters and does many, many more...
Level up your basic video embeds! Advanced features, privacy. Use URLs, Shortcodes or Blocks to customize videos to your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.