Genesis Columns Advanced vs Genesis Simple Sidebars (2026)

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

Genesis Columns Advanced

Genesis Columns Advanced

4.8(25)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Genesis Columns Advanced
VS
Genesis Simple Sidebars

Genesis Simple Sidebars

4.4(27)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Genesis Simple Sidebars

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Genesis Columns Advanced has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 25 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Genesis Columns Advanced has accumulated 137K+ total downloads while Genesis Simple Sidebars has 475K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars4.4/5
Total Reviews
25Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars27
Active Installs
10K+Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars10K+
Total Downloads
137K+Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars475K+
Support Resolution
N/AGenesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple SidebarsN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoGenesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars4 months ago
First Released
2015Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars2010
Age
11 yearsGenesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars16 years
WP Requires
3.6+Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars4.7.3+
PHP Requires
false+Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebarsfalse+
Business Model
FreeGenesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple SidebarsFree
Latest Version
2.0.5Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars2.2.3

Rating Breakdown

Genesis Columns Advanced

4.8/5(25 reviews)
5
88%
4
4%
3
4%
2
4%
1
0%

Genesis Simple Sidebars

4.4/5(27 reviews)
5
85%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
15%

Recent Reviews

Genesis Columns Advanced Reviews

by aga2442

quite successful

I was using a different plugin before. I had a lot of problems. but now i am using this plugin. It takes up very little space. I recommend it to those who use classic editors.

by mediafluent

Needs update for Gutenberg

I’m sure it’s awesome for classic editor but would be even more awesome if it worked with Gutenberg which it does not even though the plugin is compatible with newest version of WP.

by eir3apps

Great

Very useful!

Genesis Simple Sidebars Reviews

by Britlish

Works as Stated

On a Genesis site, Britlish.com, the plugin works exactly as described right out of the box.

by biberkopf

Great, clean functionality

… but it seems to only support child pages in one layer (1. generation). Sub-sub-pages are not supported when “child pages” are clicked.

by davidkonicek

Doesn’t Work

You can create a sidebar, but it won’t get added to the page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Genesis Columns Advanced or Genesis Simple Sidebars more popular?
Genesis Columns Advanced has 10K+ active installations while Genesis Simple Sidebars has 10K+. Genesis Simple Sidebars is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Genesis Columns Advanced or Genesis Simple Sidebars?
Genesis Columns Advanced has a 4.8/5 rating from 25 reviews, while Genesis Simple Sidebars has a 4.4/5 rating from 27 reviews.
Are Genesis Columns Advanced and Genesis Simple Sidebars free?
Genesis Columns Advanced is free and Genesis Simple Sidebars is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Genesis Columns Advanced or Genesis Simple Sidebars?
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?
Genesis Columns Advanced was last updated 1 year ago and Genesis Simple Sidebars was last updated 4 months ago.

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