PluginSift

Column Shortcodes vs Plugin Columns (2026)

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

Column Shortcodes

Column Shortcodes

4.8(134)

60K+ active installs

Free

Updated 3 years ago
View Column Shortcodes
VS
Plugin Columns

Plugin Columns

5(1)

100 active installs

Free

Updated 5 years ago
View Plugin Columns

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Plugin Columns has a higher user rating (5/5 from 1 reviews) while Column Shortcodes leads in active installations (60K+ vs 100). Both are free WordPress plugins. Column Shortcodes has accumulated 894K+ total downloads while Plugin Columns has 2.8K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Column Shortcodes
►
Plugin Columns5/5
Total Reviews
134Column Shortcodes
◄
Plugin Columns1
Active Installs
60K+Column Shortcodes
◄
Plugin Columns100
Total Downloads
894K+Column Shortcodes
◄
Plugin Columns2.8K+
Support Resolution
N/AColumn Shortcodes
Plugin ColumnsN/A
Last Updated
3 years agoColumn Shortcodes
◄
Plugin Columns5 years ago
First Released
2012Column Shortcodes
Plugin Columns2018
Age
14 yearsColumn Shortcodes
Plugin Columns8 years
WP Requires
4.8+Column Shortcodes
Plugin Columns4.5+
PHP Requires
false+Column Shortcodes
Plugin Columns5.6+
Business Model
FreeColumn Shortcodes
Plugin ColumnsFree
Latest Version
1.0.1Column Shortcodes
Plugin Columns1.2.2

Rating Breakdown

Column Shortcodes

4.8/5(134 reviews)
5
91%
4
2%
3
1%
2
2%
1
3%

Plugin Columns

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

Recent Reviews

Column Shortcodes Reviews

by hmschiefer

Basic column shortcode, I’m sure there are better ones out there.

I only use this because it’s what my client already had installed and they’ve been using it for years. When I asked why I can’t align content vertically within a column I was simply told, “it can’t do

by Viktor Jenerál

Perfect

Perfect plugin! Thanks a lot.

by maruska

Easy to use

Simple and easy to use, that is the reason I like it.

Plugin Columns Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Column Shortcodes or Plugin Columns more popular?
Column Shortcodes has 60K+ active installations while Plugin Columns has 100. Column Shortcodes is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Column Shortcodes or Plugin Columns?
Column Shortcodes has a 4.8/5 rating from 134 reviews, while Plugin Columns has a 5/5 rating from 1 reviews.
Are Column Shortcodes and Plugin Columns free?
Column Shortcodes is free and Plugin Columns is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Column Shortcodes or Plugin Columns?
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?
Column Shortcodes was last updated 3 years ago and Plugin Columns was last updated 5 years ago.

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