Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… vs Sidebar Manager Light (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar…
100K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 1,028 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… has accumulated 5.2M+ total downloads while Sidebar Manager Light has 71K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… | Sidebar Manager Light | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 4.3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,028 | ◄ | 13 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 5.2M+ | ◄ | 71K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 4 years ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Age | 16 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.6+ | 3.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.6+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.38 | 1.18 |
Rating Breakdown
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar…
Sidebar Manager Light
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… averaged approximately 199 daily downloads while Sidebar Manager Light averaged 5.
Recent Reviews
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… Reviews
Perfect plugin
Sticky panel plugin is perfect. It keeps my CTA visible without breaking the layout, even on long pages.
Works OK
I have indiv. widgets for indiv. pages, setting this up works OK with this plugin. Also together with Polylang for different languages. One remark: the ads in the Widgets overview are a bit too large…
Broke the site.
Installing and activating “this” plugin, add a layer of blur canvas on whole admin pages (all pages). We can’t click on anything. The plugin can be disabled from dashboard, the only way to regain cont
Sidebar Manager Light Reviews
Not working unfortunatelly
It does not work … I had a new WP install and tried to use this to change the sidebar on blog page … it created the sidebar, but it DOES NOT replace the standard sidebar, even everything was properly
Roles are making this plug-in interesting
It took me a while to understand that most plug-ins of this kind do not allow to define widget areas depending on the user role. So while this plug-in is rather simple overall, this feature makes it s
Brilliant in its Simplicity
Ahhh, you have made my life so much easier with this sweet little plugin that worked right out of the box. THANK YOU.
More Custom Sidebar Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… and Sidebar Manager Light
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Drop widgets in page or post content area. Widgetized pages. Build your custom Responsive page layout in no time. No coding, easy and fun!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… or Sidebar Manager Light more popular?
Which has better ratings — Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… or Sidebar Manager Light?
Are Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… and Sidebar Manager Light free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.