Seriously Simple Podcasting vs Compact WP Audio Player (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Seriously Simple Podcasting
30K+ active installs
Free
Compact WP Audio Player
20K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Seriously Simple Podcasting has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 326 reviews) and leads in active installations (30K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Seriously Simple Podcasting has accumulated 2.3M+ total downloads while Compact WP Audio Player has 662K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Seriously Simple Podcasting | Compact WP Audio Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 4.1/5 |
| Total Reviews | 326 | ◄ | 68 |
| Active Installs | 30K+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.3M+ | ◄ | 662K+ |
| Support Resolution | 60% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 weeks ago | ◄ | 4 months ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Age | 14 years | 13 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.3+ | 5.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.14.4 | 1.9.15 |
Rating Breakdown
Seriously Simple Podcasting
Compact WP Audio Player
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Seriously Simple Podcasting averaged approximately 1,337 daily downloads while Compact WP Audio Player averaged 49.
Recent Reviews
Seriously Simple Podcasting Reviews
La forma más sencilla y potente de gestionar un podcast
He probado varias soluciones para integrar podcasts en WordPress y, sin duda, esta es la mejor. El nombre no miente: es realmente simple de configurar, pero a la vez ofrece todas las herramientas nece
Good job!
Useful and easy to manage.
Amazing free offering. Excellent paid plans if you have 2+ shows.
It’s amazing what this team has made available on WordPress completely free. This plug-in really does give you all the tools you need to start a podcast. Setup wasn’t too bad. They have a lot of docum
Compact WP Audio Player Reviews
(Almost) exactly – and I mean exactly – what I was looking for. But…
Really love this plug in! I wanted exactly this – just a single, simple button, alternating between play and pause, allowing people to play or not as they saw fit, linking to an audio file in the back
Choosing other player images
It does what it promises very well. I have replaced the controls images with custom ones. Is it possible to get a code snippet to be able to choose between different “play” images? This to
The rarest thing, a simple clean, functional plugin
Ridiculously simple. Works well. I customised the play/pause images to fit the design of my website. It plays audio. Job done. Please keep supporting it, it’s great!
More Audio Worth Comparing
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.