Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails vs Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
100K+ active installs
Free
Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post…
20K+ active installs
Free + Premium
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 212 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails has accumulated 3.6M+ total downloads while Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… has 724K+. Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails has a higher support resolution rate (75% vs 0%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails | Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 212 | ◄ | 206 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 3.6M+ | ◄ | 724K+ |
| Support Resolution | 75% | ◄ | 0% |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ► | 1 week ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2016 | |
| Age | 12 years | 10 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.6+ | 5.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.2+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free + Premium | |
| Latest Version | 7.1.1 | 3.0.13 |
Rating Breakdown
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails
Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post…
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails averaged approximately 136 daily downloads while Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… averaged 387.
Recent Reviews
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails Reviews
Niiiiice, thanks
gotta have plugin, thanks
So many settings!
It’s great that your plugin has so many settings for widgets. Thanks for making it.
Simple but Invaluable Plugin
This plugin performs a simple task but one that I find to be invaluable.
Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… Reviews
Absolutely brilliant plugin!
Does what it says. Easy to use. Great support – even on the free version.
Very nice postgrid plugin
Tried multiple plugins like this. At least 5 others. This one comes easily closest to what I want, straight out of the box. Free version is more than what most people will need. I’m looking into paid
Awesome plugin !!
Smart Post has a wide variety of Layout Presets & Content Orientations to choose from. The Navigation style options makes the Post slider blend in with any wordpress theme making it look like it’s par
More Recent Posts Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails and Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post…
Easy to show posts, pages, custom posts in customizable grid, list, slider, accordion... Available as Widgets (for Elementor), Shortcode, and Blocks.
Adds a widget that shows the most recent posts from a single category.
Redirect your visitors to another page than the post content when they click on the post title.
The ultimate widget for displaying posts, custom post types or sticky posts with an array of options.
Load your content from posts, page, tags or custom post type and display it anywhere in WordPress including in Gutenberg editor
Display your FaceBook Feed and Like box on your website with this outstanding plugin. It is completely customizable, responsive and the code is search …
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails or Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… more popular?
Which has better ratings — Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails or Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post…?
Are Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails and Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post… free?
Which plugin has better support — Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails or Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post…?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.