WP News and Scrolling Widgets vs Vertical News Scroller (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
WP News and Scrolling Widgets
10K+ active installs
Free
Vertical News Scroller
5.0K+ active installs
Free + Premium
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, WP News and Scrolling Widgets has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 81 reviews) and leads in active installations (10K+ vs 5.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. WP News and Scrolling Widgets has accumulated 678K+ total downloads while Vertical News Scroller has 175K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | WP News and Scrolling Widgets | Vertical News Scroller | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | ◄ | 4.3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 81 | ◄ | 17 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 5.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 678K+ | ◄ | 175K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 3 months ago |
| First Released | 2013 | 2012 | |
| Age | 13 years | 14 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.0+ | 3.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free + Premium | |
| Latest Version | 5.0.6 | 1.25 |
Rating Breakdown
WP News and Scrolling Widgets
Vertical News Scroller
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, WP News and Scrolling Widgets averaged approximately 46 daily downloads while Vertical News Scroller averaged 11.
Recent Reviews
WP News and Scrolling Widgets Reviews
No more support, plugin abandoned?
The support team is no longer responding to questions on the forum; it seems that the plugin has been abandoned. That’s a shame; we’ll have to find another solution.
good news plugin
Simple to use and it has all you need for news.
Not useful for expected use case.
Did not match expectations.
Vertical News Scroller Reviews
Fantastic plugin
Very good and helpful plugin! Highly recommended!
Exciting tool / excellent support!
I had a special support request for formatting the content part in a different way (left alignment and text high smaller). I got within one day the answer, which I would like to share with you. Might
Modern version has bugs
There are two versions in this plugin. What they call “classic” based on marquee element. This seems to work on in browsers which still support this antique element The “modern” version is based on jq
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WP News and Scrolling Widgets or Vertical News Scroller more popular?
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Are WP News and Scrolling Widgets and Vertical News Scroller free?
Which plugin has better support — WP News and Scrolling Widgets or Vertical News Scroller?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.