PluginSift

Essential Widgets vs Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… (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
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…

Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…

4.7(49)

3.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 49 reviews) while Essential Widgets leads in active installations (10K+ vs 3.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Essential Widgets has accumulated 489K+ total downloads while Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… has 295K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
3.5/5Essential Widgets
►
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…4.7/5
Total Reviews
2Essential Widgets
►
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…49
Active Installs
10K+Essential Widgets
◄
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…3.0K+
Total Downloads
489K+Essential Widgets
◄
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…295K+
Support Resolution
N/AEssential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…N/A
Last Updated
2 months agoEssential Widgets
◄
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…4 months ago
First Released
2017Essential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…2012
Age
9 yearsEssential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…14 years
WP Requires
5.9+Essential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…4.9+
PHP Requires
false+Essential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…7.2+
Business Model
FreeEssential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…Free
Latest Version
3.0.1Essential Widgets
Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…2.1.1

Rating Breakdown

Essential Widgets

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

Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…

4.7/5(49 reviews)
5
86%
4
8%
3
2%
2
2%
1
2%

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

Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… Reviews

by hzane

nice and useful

thanks!

by spitch17

Quirky accessiblilty

On the admin side, the grouping works well, very intuitive, but the implementation has some flaws in terms accessibility. For example, using a tabbed or accordion interface, the headers are taken out

by Wickelwutz

Now it’s just bullshit – Edit: Problem solved

Since the original developer ChattyMango resold the plugin, it’s just bullshit. In the design theme “Accordion”, the previously neatly and clearly separated keywords are now suddenly and unexpected

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Essential Widgets or Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… more popular?
Essential Widgets has 10K+ active installations while Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… has 3.0K+. Essential Widgets is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Essential Widgets or Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…?
Essential Widgets has a 3.5/5 rating from 2 reviews, while Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… has a 4.7/5 rating from 49 reviews.
Are Essential Widgets and Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… free?
Essential Widgets is free and Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Essential Widgets or Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to…?
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 Tag Groups is the Advanced Way to… was last updated 4 months ago.

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