Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… vs WP Popular Posts (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 100K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… has accumulated 5.2M+ total downloads while WP Popular Posts has 8.6M+. Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… has a higher support resolution rate (100% vs 88%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… | WP Popular Posts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 4.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,028 | ◄ | 248 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | 100K+ | |
| Total Downloads | 5.2M+ | ► | 8.6M+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | ◄ | 88% |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ► | 1 month ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2008 | |
| Age | 16 years | 18 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.6+ | 6.2+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.6+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.38 | 7.3.8 |
Rating Breakdown
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar…
WP Popular Posts
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… averaged approximately 199 daily downloads while WP Popular Posts averaged 685.
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
WP Popular Posts Reviews
Complete Design Flaw
WordPress Popular Posts is fundamentally broken for cached sites. It defeats the entire purpose of Nginx/WP Rocket caching. There you spend all your energy optimizing to reduce every imaginable PHP FP
Great plugin – great support
I’ve only been using the plugin for a few days. At first I had a problem, thanks to the good and fast support I was able to solve the problem quickly, it was not due to the plugin, but to my theme. Si
No css customization option
Out of sheer frustration I would like to give only one star because the css style cannot be changed in the normal way. I have tried for hours. It is only possible with great effort, e.g. via changes i
More Widget Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… and WP Popular Posts
Embed Google reviews fast and easily into your WordPress site. Increase SEO, trust and sales using Google reviews.
The official companion plugin for Blocksy theme, packed with starter sites, extra features, and integrations.
Display up to 10 Google reviews in less than a minute. Continue collecting new reviews. No limits on connected places, widgets, shortcodes and blocks.
Widget Logic lets you control on which pages widgets appear using WP's conditional tags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… or WP Popular Posts more popular?
Which has better ratings — Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… or WP Popular Posts?
Are Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… and WP Popular Posts free?
Which plugin has better support — Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar… or WP Popular Posts?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.