Pen vs Fancy Admin UI (2026)

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

Pen

Pen

5(6)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 months ago
View Pen
VS
Fancy Admin UI

Fancy Admin UI

4.4(14)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 years ago
View Fancy Admin UI

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Pen has a higher user rating (5/5 from 6 reviews) and leads in active installations (2.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Pen has accumulated 68K+ total downloads while Fancy Admin UI has 49K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
5/5Pen
Fancy Admin UI4.4/5
Total Reviews
6Pen
Fancy Admin UI14
Active Installs
2.0K+Pen
Fancy Admin UI1.0K+
Total Downloads
68K+Pen
Fancy Admin UI49K+
Support Resolution
N/APen
Fancy Admin UIN/A
Last Updated
8 months agoPen
Fancy Admin UI8 years ago
First Released
2019Pen
Fancy Admin UI2014
Age
7 yearsPen
Fancy Admin UI12 years
WP Requires
4.8+Pen
Fancy Admin UI3.9.0+
PHP Requires
5.6+Pen
Fancy Admin UIfalse+
Business Model
FreePen
Fancy Admin UIFree
Latest Version
1.1.7Pen
Fancy Admin UI2.1

Rating Breakdown

Pen

5/5(6 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Fancy Admin UI

4.4/5(14 reviews)
5
71%
4
14%
3
7%
2
0%
1
7%

Recent Reviews

Pen Reviews

by aboumosayyeb

حرف نداری

هر چی بگم کمه

by chiachatter

Solved a BIG Problem!

When I first was setting up my website I was so confused by themes and codes and how-to videos and articles, I finally gave up for a couple of weeks in sheer frustration. Then I decided to try again,

by Alan Kabeš

Perfect theme and incredible helpdesk support!!! I’m really happy!

If you want the best service, so try this! Really great Plugin with many color combinations and font settings. And if you don’t have enough, you can set everything according to your wishes! And if you

Fancy Admin UI Reviews

by Canada WebMaster

Good Style

Its good style and nice but need update, there is some conflict with the CSS, please update the plugin as 4 years is long and keep it up 🙂

by saqnaz

Very easy

Beautiful admin interface. Thanks Bob Orchard

by louiswalch

Great Admin theme

This is the best Admin UI theme I’ve seen for WordPress. Very clean and minimal and does a nice job at improving the WordPress backend experience. I would highly suggest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pen or Fancy Admin UI more popular?
Pen has 2.0K+ active installations while Fancy Admin UI has 1.0K+. Pen is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Pen or Fancy Admin UI?
Pen has a 5/5 rating from 6 reviews, while Fancy Admin UI has a 4.4/5 rating from 14 reviews.
Are Pen and Fancy Admin UI free?
Pen is free and Fancy Admin UI is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Pen or Fancy Admin UI?
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?
Pen was last updated 8 months ago and Fancy Admin UI was last updated 8 years ago.

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