Smart Recent Posts Widget vs Random Posts and Pages Widget (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Smart Recent Posts Widget
9.0K+ active installs
Free
Random Posts and Pages Widget
1.0K+ active installs
Free + Premium
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Random Posts and Pages Widget has a higher user rating (5/5 from 4 reviews) while Smart Recent Posts Widget leads in active installations (9.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Smart Recent Posts Widget has accumulated 132K+ total downloads while Random Posts and Pages Widget has 26K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Smart Recent Posts Widget | Random Posts and Pages Widget | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 30 | ◄ | 4 |
| Active Installs | 9.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 132K+ | ◄ | 26K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 11 months ago |
| First Released | 2016 | 2015 | |
| Age | 10 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.8+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.6+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free + Premium | |
| Latest Version | 1.0.4 | 2.6.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Smart Recent Posts Widget
Random Posts and Pages Widget
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Smart Recent Posts Widget averaged approximately 16 daily downloads while Random Posts and Pages Widget averaged 6.
Recent Reviews
Smart Recent Posts Widget Reviews
Excellent
Excellent plugin
Just perfect
works like a charm!
exactly what I need
very complete and with custom CSS avaliable
Random Posts and Pages Widget Reviews
Random Posts and Pages
Nice plugin and fast bug fixing from developers
A very attractive plugin
This will arouse the user’s instinctual curiosity. Not all developers realize the importance of random display. This plugin uses it in an attention-capturing way.
Great plugin
Is great looking, also very good & fast support. Keep up the good work!
More Random Posts Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Smart Recent Posts Widget and Random Posts and Pages Widget
Provides flexible and advanced random posts. Display it via shortcode or widget with thumbnails, post excerpt, and much more!
This simple plugin is a widget that displays a list of random posts on your sidebar. You can exclude certain posts by ID.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.