Essential Widgets vs Flexible Posts Widget (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Essential Widgets

Essential Widgets

3.5(2)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 months ago
View Essential Widgets
VS
Flexible Posts Widget

Flexible Posts Widget

4.6(57)

8.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Flexible Posts Widget

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

Rating
3.5/5Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget4.6/5
Total Reviews
2Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget57
Active Installs
10K+Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget8.0K+
Total Downloads
489K+Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget214K+
Support Resolution
N/AEssential Widgets
Flexible Posts WidgetN/A
Last Updated
2 months agoEssential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget8 years ago
First Released
2017Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget2012
Age
9 yearsEssential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget14 years
WP Requires
5.9+Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget3.2+
PHP Requires
false+Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widgetfalse+
Business Model
FreeEssential Widgets
Flexible Posts WidgetFree
Latest Version
3.0.1Essential Widgets
Flexible Posts Widget3.5.0

Rating Breakdown

Essential Widgets

3.5/5(2 reviews)
5
50%
4
0%
3
0%
2
50%
1
0%

Flexible Posts Widget

4.6/5(57 reviews)
5
84%
4
7%
3
2%
2
2%
1
5%

Recent Reviews

Essential Widgets Reviews

by KJA4U

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.

by adminmaw

Excellent

Excellent

Flexible Posts Widget Reviews

by aljuk

Works ok

This topic was modified 7 years ago by aljuk. This topic was modified 7 years ago by aljuk.

by 7am

URI problem

The URI are different when you’re admin or just subscriber. Don’t work for everyone.

by Bobthearch

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Essential Widgets or Flexible Posts Widget more popular?
Essential Widgets has 10K+ active installations while Flexible Posts Widget has 8.0K+. Essential Widgets is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Essential Widgets or Flexible Posts Widget?
Essential Widgets has a 3.5/5 rating from 2 reviews, while Flexible Posts Widget has a 4.6/5 rating from 57 reviews.
Are Essential Widgets and Flexible Posts Widget free?
Essential Widgets is free and Flexible Posts Widget is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Essential Widgets or Flexible Posts Widget?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Essential Widgets was last updated 2 months ago and Flexible Posts Widget was last updated 8 years ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.