Genesis eNews Extended vs Genesis Simple Sidebars (2026)

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

Genesis eNews Extended

Genesis eNews Extended

4.7(28)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 11 months ago
View Genesis eNews Extended
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 eNews Extended has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 28 reviews) and leads in active installations (40K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Genesis eNews Extended has accumulated 1.1M+ total downloads while Genesis Simple Sidebars has 475K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars4.4/5
Total Reviews
28Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars27
Active Installs
40K+Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars10K+
Total Downloads
1.1M+Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars475K+
Support Resolution
N/AGenesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple SidebarsN/A
Last Updated
11 months agoGenesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars4 months ago
First Released
2012Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars2010
Age
14 yearsGenesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars16 years
WP Requires
4.9.6+Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars4.7.3+
PHP Requires
5.4.0+Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebarsfalse+
Business Model
FreeGenesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple SidebarsFree
Latest Version
2.2.0Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars2.2.3

Rating Breakdown

Genesis eNews Extended

4.7/5(28 reviews)
5
89%
4
4%
3
0%
2
0%
1
7%

Genesis Simple Sidebars

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

Recent Reviews

Genesis eNews Extended Reviews

by jscmal

It works Marvelously

Hi. I am loving this plugin, used with MailChimp. The reason is that it does not use APIs. Then, it works perfectly in any circumstance, just passing data to MailChimp by the Form Action. Instead, usi

by cindybidar

Seems to be a target for bots :(

We’ve been using this for years, and over the past few months have noticed dozens of .ru subscribers being added to our mailing list every week. That stopped when we replaced this plugin with a differ

by LadyHype

Disappointed

Very disappointed with the plugin and the genesis theme in general. I used the plugin for a opt-in form on my website and it just looked a mess in the sidebar. I was a youtube video of this plugin bei

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 eNews Extended or Genesis Simple Sidebars more popular?
Genesis eNews Extended has 40K+ active installations while Genesis Simple Sidebars has 10K+. Genesis eNews Extended is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Genesis eNews Extended or Genesis Simple Sidebars?
Genesis eNews Extended has a 4.7/5 rating from 28 reviews, while Genesis Simple Sidebars has a 4.4/5 rating from 27 reviews.
Are Genesis eNews Extended and Genesis Simple Sidebars free?
Genesis eNews Extended is free and Genesis Simple Sidebars is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Genesis eNews Extended 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 eNews Extended was last updated 11 months ago and Genesis Simple Sidebars was last updated 4 months ago.

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