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Social Media Widget vs Lightning Simple Social Share (2026)

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

Social Media Widget

Social Media Widget

3.9(84)

30K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Social Media Widget
VS
Lightning Simple Social Share

Lightning Simple Social Share

0(0)

20 active installs

Free

Updated 7 months ago
View Lightning Simple Social Share

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Social Media Widget has a higher user rating (3.9/5 from 84 reviews) and leads in active installations (30K+ vs 20). Both are free WordPress plugins. Social Media Widget has accumulated 2.2M+ total downloads while Lightning Simple Social Share has 342.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
3.9/5Social Media Widget
◄
Lightning Simple Social ShareN/A
Total Reviews
84Social Media Widget
◄
Lightning Simple Social Share0
Active Installs
30K+Social Media Widget
◄
Lightning Simple Social Share20
Total Downloads
2.2M+Social Media Widget
◄
Lightning Simple Social Share342
Support Resolution
N/ASocial Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social ShareN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoSocial Media Widget
►
Lightning Simple Social Share7 months ago
First Released
2010Social Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social Share2025
Age
16 yearsSocial Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social Share1 year
WP Requires
2.9.2+Social Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social Share5.0+
PHP Requires
false+Social Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social Share7.4+
Business Model
FreeSocial Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social ShareFree
Latest Version
4.0.9Social Media Widget
Lightning Simple Social Share1.0.0

Rating Breakdown

Social Media Widget

3.9/5(84 reviews)
5
65%
4
6%
3
5%
2
1%
1
23%

Lightning Simple Social Share

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

Recent Reviews

Social Media Widget Reviews

by Anonymous User 7343156

Looks outdated

Very outdated style, it doesn’t look good.

by perdage

i miss discord icon

I want the discord icon in my Social Media Widget This topic was modified 5 years, 12 months ago by perdage.

by Laura Byrne

Really Like this Plugin

Easy to use. I like the flexibility of listing the services in whatever order I want. I also like that I can customize for a service that is not listed. Only thing I don’t like is the out-of-the box-I

Lightning Simple Social Share Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Social Media Widget or Lightning Simple Social Share more popular?
Social Media Widget has 30K+ active installations while Lightning Simple Social Share has 20. Social Media Widget is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Social Media Widget or Lightning Simple Social Share?
Social Media Widget has a 3.9/5 rating from 84 reviews, while Lightning Simple Social Share has a 0/5 rating from 0 reviews.
Are Social Media Widget and Lightning Simple Social Share free?
Social Media Widget is free and Lightning Simple Social Share is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Social Media Widget or Lightning Simple Social Share?
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?
Social Media Widget was last updated 1 year ago and Lightning Simple Social Share was last updated 7 months ago.

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