NS Category Widget vs Simple Event Planner (2026)

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

NS Category Widget

NS Category Widget

4.8(34)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 6 months ago
View NS Category Widget
VS
Simple Event Planner

Simple Event Planner

4.3(23)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 months ago
View Simple Event Planner

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, NS Category Widget has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 34 reviews) and leads in active installations (1.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. NS Category Widget has accumulated 42K+ total downloads while Simple Event Planner has 57K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner4.3/5
Total Reviews
34NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner23
Active Installs
1.0K+NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner1.0K+
Total Downloads
42K+NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner57K+
Support Resolution
N/ANS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner0%
Last Updated
6 months agoNS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner2 months ago
First Released
2013NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner2015
Age
13 yearsNS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner11 years
WP Requires
6.0+NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner4.5+
PHP Requires
7.2.24+NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner7.4+
Business Model
FreeNS Category Widget
Simple Event PlannerFree
Latest Version
4.1.6NS Category Widget
Simple Event Planner1.5.7

Rating Breakdown

NS Category Widget

4.8/5(34 reviews)
5
91%
4
6%
3
0%
2
0%
1
3%

Simple Event Planner

4.3/5(23 reviews)
5
70%
4
17%
3
0%
2
0%
1
13%

Recent Reviews

NS Category Widget Reviews

by George K

Pefect

Exactly what I was looking for. Simple and follows the site css.

by kml2012

Works great!

It’s the only working alternative for collapsing categories, which stopped working some time ago. NS saved me. Thank you 🙂

by motorhomeblog

Great plugin

Makes my website look great!

Simple Event Planner Reviews

by lancefrenchcom

Excelent

Lovely, simple, Event plugin, excellent support, well written code. Just what I was looking for.Cant say better than that.

by Matt Knowles

Can’t sort the displayed list by date

I would have thought a plugin designed to display events would at least be able to sort them either in ascending or descending order. Instead it displays them based on the date the event post was ente

by danielepais

It does exactly what it says

Fantastic, simple but effective plugin for your event calendar. I have paired it with forminator to add a booking form capability, and the two together form a rock solid solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NS Category Widget or Simple Event Planner more popular?
NS Category Widget has 1.0K+ active installations while Simple Event Planner has 1.0K+. Simple Event Planner is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — NS Category Widget or Simple Event Planner?
NS Category Widget has a 4.8/5 rating from 34 reviews, while Simple Event Planner has a 4.3/5 rating from 23 reviews.
Are NS Category Widget and Simple Event Planner free?
NS Category Widget is free and Simple Event Planner is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — NS Category Widget or Simple Event Planner?
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?
NS Category Widget was last updated 6 months ago and Simple Event Planner was last updated 2 months ago.

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