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Multiple Post Thumbnails vs Smart Recent Posts Widget (2026)

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

Multiple Post Thumbnails

Multiple Post Thumbnails

4.7(42)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 7 years ago
View Multiple Post Thumbnails
VS
Smart Recent Posts Widget

Smart Recent Posts Widget

4.8(30)

9.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Smart Recent Posts Widget

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Smart Recent Posts Widget has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 30 reviews) while Multiple Post Thumbnails leads in active installations (20K+ vs 9.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Multiple Post Thumbnails has accumulated 519K+ total downloads while Smart Recent Posts Widget has 132K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Multiple Post Thumbnails
►
Smart Recent Posts Widget4.8/5
Total Reviews
42Multiple Post Thumbnails
◄
Smart Recent Posts Widget30
Active Installs
20K+Multiple Post Thumbnails
◄
Smart Recent Posts Widget9.0K+
Total Downloads
519K+Multiple Post Thumbnails
◄
Smart Recent Posts Widget132K+
Support Resolution
N/AMultiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts WidgetN/A
Last Updated
7 years agoMultiple Post Thumbnails
►
Smart Recent Posts Widget1 year ago
First Released
2010Multiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts Widget2016
Age
16 yearsMultiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts Widget10 years
WP Requires
2.9.2+Multiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts Widget5.8+
PHP Requires
5.6+Multiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts Widget5.6+
Business Model
FreeMultiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts WidgetFree
Latest Version
1.7Multiple Post Thumbnails
Smart Recent Posts Widget1.0.4

Rating Breakdown

Multiple Post Thumbnails

4.7/5(42 reviews)
5
90%
4
2%
3
0%
2
0%
1
7%

Smart Recent Posts Widget

4.8/5(30 reviews)
5
93%
4
0%
3
3%
2
0%
1
3%

Recent Reviews

Multiple Post Thumbnails Reviews

by Sven Woltmann

Not working with WordPress 5.4 and Gutenberg editor

I don’t see any option to add a secondary feature image.

by Lox

Works as espected

Very nice extensions for developers This topic was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by Lox.

by karhu

Not working with WP version 4.7.1.

I updated the plugin from 1.3 version to 1.6.6. but it didn’t work anymore. When I selected an image as an additional post thumbnail, the pop-up window closed but the selected image didn’t appear in p

Smart Recent Posts Widget Reviews

by ivansoenderholm

Excellent

Excellent plugin

by knecker

Just perfect

works like a charm!

by acarballal

exactly what I need

very complete and with custom CSS avaliable

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Multiple Post Thumbnails or Smart Recent Posts Widget more popular?
Multiple Post Thumbnails has 20K+ active installations while Smart Recent Posts Widget has 9.0K+. Multiple Post Thumbnails is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Multiple Post Thumbnails or Smart Recent Posts Widget?
Multiple Post Thumbnails has a 4.7/5 rating from 42 reviews, while Smart Recent Posts Widget has a 4.8/5 rating from 30 reviews.
Are Multiple Post Thumbnails and Smart Recent Posts Widget free?
Multiple Post Thumbnails is free and Smart Recent Posts Widget is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Multiple Post Thumbnails or Smart Recent Posts Widget?
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?
Multiple Post Thumbnails was last updated 7 years ago and Smart Recent Posts Widget was last updated 1 year ago.

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