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
40K+ active installs
Free
Genesis Simple Sidebars
10K+ active installs
Free
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
| Metric | Genesis eNews Extended | Genesis Simple Sidebars | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 4.4/5 |
| Total Reviews | 28 | ◄ | 27 |
| Active Installs | 40K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.1M+ | ◄ | 475K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 11 months ago | ► | 4 months ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2010 | |
| Age | 14 years | 16 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.9.6+ | 4.7.3+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.4.0+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.2.0 | 2.2.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Genesis eNews Extended
Genesis Simple Sidebars
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Genesis eNews Extended averaged approximately 26 daily downloads while Genesis Simple Sidebars averaged 24.
Recent Reviews
Genesis eNews Extended Reviews
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
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
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
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
Is Genesis eNews Extended or Genesis Simple Sidebars more popular?
Which has better ratings — Genesis eNews Extended or Genesis Simple Sidebars?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.