Essential Widgets vs Flexible Posts Widget (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Flexible Posts Widget has a higher user rating (4.6/5 from 57 reviews) while Essential Widgets leads in active installations (10K+ vs 8.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Essential Widgets has accumulated 489K+ total downloads while Flexible Posts Widget has 214K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Essential Widgets | Flexible Posts Widget | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.5/5 | ► | 4.6/5 |
| Total Reviews | 2 | ► | 57 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 8.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 489K+ | ◄ | 214K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 months ago | ◄ | 8 years ago |
| First Released | 2017 | 2012 | |
| Age | 9 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.9+ | 3.2+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.0.1 | 3.5.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Essential Widgets averaged approximately 66 daily downloads while Flexible Posts Widget averaged 8.
Recent Reviews
Essential Widgets Reviews
alot of useful widgets but in the paid version
A lot of useful widgets but in the paid version. The free one is limited. This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by KJA4U.
Excellent
Excellent
Flexible Posts Widget Reviews
Works ok
This topic was modified 7 years ago by aljuk. This topic was modified 7 years ago by aljuk.
URI problem
The URI are different when you’re admin or just subscriber. Don’t work for everyone.
Doesn’t work
I can Select a Taxonomy as shown in the plugin screenshot, “Tags” for instance, but there is no Select Terms box. Without a way to select which tags, this plugin is useless. I suspect it needs to be
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Essential Widgets or Flexible Posts Widget more popular?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.