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
10K+ active installs
Free
Genesis Simple Sidebars
10K+ active installs
Free
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
| Metric | Genesis Columns Advanced | Genesis Simple Sidebars | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.4/5 |
| Total Reviews | 25 | ► | 27 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | 10K+ | |
| Total Downloads | 137K+ | ► | 475K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 4 months ago |
| First Released | 2015 | 2010 | |
| Age | 11 years | 16 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.6+ | 4.7.3+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.0.5 | 2.2.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Genesis Columns Advanced
Genesis Simple Sidebars
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Genesis Columns Advanced averaged approximately 9 daily downloads while Genesis Simple Sidebars averaged 23.
Recent Reviews
Genesis Columns Advanced Reviews
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.
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.
Great
Very useful!
Genesis Simple Sidebars Reviews
Works as Stated
On a Genesis site, Britlish.com, the plugin works exactly as described right out of the box.
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.
Doesn’t Work
You can create a sidebar, but it won’t get added to the page.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.