Media Library Assistant vs Essential Widgets (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Media Library Assistant
70K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Media Library Assistant has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 198 reviews) and leads in active installations (70K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Media Library Assistant has accumulated 2.6M+ total downloads while Essential Widgets has 489K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Media Library Assistant | Essential Widgets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 3.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 198 | ◄ | 2 |
| Active Installs | 70K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.6M+ | ◄ | 489K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 5 days ago | ◄ | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2017 | |
| Age | 14 years | 9 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 5.9+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.35 | 3.0.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Media Library Assistant
Essential Widgets
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Media Library Assistant averaged approximately 2,062 daily downloads while Essential Widgets averaged 66.
Recent Reviews
Media Library Assistant Reviews
Lifesaver for big sites
Media manager is a lifesaver for big sites. Sorting and folder-like organization makes content work much faster
Security Risk: Server Blacklisting
Following a WordPress core update to 6.9, WordFence flagged this plugin for a known security vulnerability. Within just a few hours, and before I could disable or update it, my VPS IP was blacklisted
Good one!
Just what we needed for our sites!
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
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.