LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… vs Desert Companion (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming…
500K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… has a higher user rating (4.3/5 from 860 reviews) and leads in active installations (500K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… has accumulated 19M+ total downloads while Desert Companion has 487K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… | Desert Companion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | ◄ | 3.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 860 | ◄ | 3 |
| Active Installs | 500K+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 19M+ | ◄ | 487K+ |
| Support Resolution | 50% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 weeks ago | ◄ | 3 weeks ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2022 | |
| Age | 16 years | 4 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 4.6+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.1+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.6.20 | 1.0.96 |
Rating Breakdown
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming…
Desert Companion
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… averaged approximately 1,064 daily downloads while Desert Companion averaged 419.
Recent Reviews
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… Reviews
Not for the faint hearted or newbies
My isssue (which I’m currently waiting for help with)- is that it broke my Woocommerce/Divi Shop. The Maintenance Mode is still active on my Homepage even after deactivating Lightstart.I’m sure it wil
Installed Unwanted Plugins
The actual plugin I wanted to use worked fine but it installed two other plugins – an image optimization plugin and some other plugin called Otter. No prompts, notification or nothing. Very sketch.
Excellent Lightweight Easy to use
LightStart is a great addition to any WordPress site if you’re looking for a lightweight, reliable, and easy-to-use solution. It installs quickly, works smoothly without slowing down performance, and
Desert Companion Reviews
Quick Functionality for dummies like me
This theme had me up and running very quickly. Great for non-tech dummies. Looks good almost immediately
thats Great
im , very happy with desrt-theme , its a great servies for our website ♥thank you DESERTTHEMES ♥
Avoid
The support is garbage and when you ask for a refund following the crap support they try to refuse. It kept giving critical errors.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… or Desert Companion more popular?
Which has better ratings — LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… or Desert Companion?
Are LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… and Desert Companion free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.