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Genesis Simple Sidebars vs Genesis Custom Backgrounds (2026)

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

Genesis Simple Sidebars

Genesis Simple Sidebars

4.4(27)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Genesis Simple Sidebars
VS
Genesis Custom Backgrounds

Genesis Custom Backgrounds

0(0)

70 active installs

Free

Updated 13 years ago
View Genesis Custom Backgrounds

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Genesis Simple Sidebars has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 27 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 70). Both are free WordPress plugins. Genesis Simple Sidebars has accumulated 475K+ total downloads while Genesis Custom Backgrounds has 10K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.4/5Genesis Simple Sidebars
◄
Genesis Custom BackgroundsN/A
Total Reviews
27Genesis Simple Sidebars
◄
Genesis Custom Backgrounds0
Active Installs
10K+Genesis Simple Sidebars
◄
Genesis Custom Backgrounds70
Total Downloads
475K+Genesis Simple Sidebars
◄
Genesis Custom Backgrounds10K+
Support Resolution
N/AGenesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom BackgroundsN/A
Last Updated
4 months agoGenesis Simple Sidebars
◄
Genesis Custom Backgrounds13 years ago
First Released
2010Genesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom Backgrounds2011
Age
16 yearsGenesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom Backgrounds15 years
WP Requires
4.7.3+Genesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom Backgrounds3.0+
PHP Requires
false+Genesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom Backgroundsfalse+
Business Model
FreeGenesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom BackgroundsFree
Latest Version
2.2.3Genesis Simple Sidebars
Genesis Custom Backgrounds0.4

Rating Breakdown

Genesis Simple Sidebars

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

Genesis Custom Backgrounds

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

Recent Reviews

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.

Genesis Custom Backgrounds Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Genesis Simple Sidebars or Genesis Custom Backgrounds more popular?
Genesis Simple Sidebars has 10K+ active installations while Genesis Custom Backgrounds has 70. Genesis Simple Sidebars is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Genesis Simple Sidebars or Genesis Custom Backgrounds?
Genesis Simple Sidebars has a 4.4/5 rating from 27 reviews, while Genesis Custom Backgrounds has a 0/5 rating from 0 reviews.
Are Genesis Simple Sidebars and Genesis Custom Backgrounds free?
Genesis Simple Sidebars is free and Genesis Custom Backgrounds is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Genesis Simple Sidebars or Genesis Custom Backgrounds?
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 Simple Sidebars was last updated 4 months ago and Genesis Custom Backgrounds was last updated 13 years ago.

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