Smart Recent Posts Widget vs WP Most Popular (2026)

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

Smart Recent Posts Widget

Smart Recent Posts Widget

4.8(30)

9.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Smart Recent Posts Widget
VS
WP Most Popular

WP Most Popular

4.9(11)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 7 years ago
View WP Most Popular

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, WP Most Popular has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 11 reviews) while Smart Recent Posts Widget leads in active installations (9.0K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Smart Recent Posts Widget has accumulated 132K+ total downloads while WP Most Popular has 81K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular4.9/5
Total Reviews
30Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular11
Active Installs
9.0K+Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular2.0K+
Total Downloads
132K+Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular81K+
Support Resolution
N/ASmart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most PopularN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoSmart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular7 years ago
First Released
2016Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular2012
Age
10 yearsSmart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular14 years
WP Requires
5.8+Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular3.0+
PHP Requires
5.6+Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular5.2.4+
Business Model
FreeSmart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most PopularFree
Latest Version
1.0.4Smart Recent Posts Widget
WP Most Popular0.3.1

Rating Breakdown

Smart Recent Posts Widget

4.8/5(30 reviews)
5
93%
4
0%
3
3%
2
0%
1
3%

WP Most Popular

4.9/5(11 reviews)
5
91%
4
9%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

Smart Recent Posts Widget Reviews

by ivansoenderholm

Excellent

Excellent plugin

by knecker

Just perfect

works like a charm!

by acarballal

exactly what I need

very complete and with custom CSS avaliable

WP Most Popular Reviews

by jensnilsson

Great plugin

Works just as expected 🙂 Triggers the stat update from JS on the frontend so it works with cache. This topic was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by jensnilsson. This topic was modified 6

by azhar92

504 request

Hello Support, I hope you are doing well !!! I have installed this Wp most popular plugin in my website, my website is on wp-engine server. so server person giving max hitting creating under this plu

by RustyH

Simple and versatile

Great plugin, can be called with a function to show popular posts anywhere. I was able to create a category for popular posts and then call the plugin function when that category was viewed. However,

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Smart Recent Posts Widget or WP Most Popular more popular?
Smart Recent Posts Widget has 9.0K+ active installations while WP Most Popular has 2.0K+. Smart Recent Posts Widget is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Smart Recent Posts Widget or WP Most Popular?
Smart Recent Posts Widget has a 4.8/5 rating from 30 reviews, while WP Most Popular has a 4.9/5 rating from 11 reviews.
Are Smart Recent Posts Widget and WP Most Popular free?
Smart Recent Posts Widget is free and WP Most Popular is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Smart Recent Posts Widget or WP Most Popular?
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?
Smart Recent Posts Widget was last updated 1 year ago and WP Most Popular was last updated 7 years ago.

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