Social Media Widget vs Social Share Buttons (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Social Share Buttons has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 27 reviews) while Social Media Widget leads in active installations (30K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Social Media Widget has accumulated 2.2M+ total downloads while Social Share Buttons has 54K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Social Media Widget | Social Share Buttons | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.9/5 | ► | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 84 | ◄ | 27 |
| Active Installs | 30K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.2M+ | ◄ | 54K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 6 months ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2010 | |
| Age | 16 years | 16 years | |
| WP Requires | 2.9.2+ | 4.8+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 4.0.9 | 1.20 |
Rating Breakdown
Social Media Widget
Social Share Buttons
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Social Media Widget averaged approximately 35 daily downloads while Social Share Buttons averaged 6.
Recent Reviews
Social Media Widget Reviews
Looks outdated
Very outdated style, it doesn’t look good.
i miss discord icon
I want the discord icon in my Social Media Widget This topic was modified 5 years, 12 months ago by perdage.
Really Like this Plugin
Easy to use. I like the flexibility of listing the services in whatever order I want. I also like that I can customize for a service that is not listed. Only thing I don’t like is the out-of-the box-I
Social Share Buttons Reviews
Share the product image and not the site icon
I am trying to configure the share button so that it is possible to share the link to the product but the photo of the product appears as the cover image. Currently, what happens is that what is share
Best Button Maker!
i tried several over time, but been working only with this plugin for several years… simply the best.
Great Plugin
Very easy to set up beautiful buttons. Has a very helpful preview of the button and its hovered version, you can even set the same background color to the preview like you have on your site. Easy to i
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Social Media Widget or Social Share Buttons more popular?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.