Ultimate Posts Widget vs Smart Recent Posts Widget (2026)

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

Ultimate Posts Widget

Ultimate Posts Widget

4.5(55)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Ultimate Posts Widget
VS
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

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Smart Recent Posts Widget has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 30 reviews) while Ultimate Posts Widget leads in active installations (10K+ vs 9.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Ultimate Posts Widget has accumulated 492K+ total downloads while Smart Recent Posts Widget has 132K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget4.8/5
Total Reviews
55Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget30
Active Installs
10K+Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget9.0K+
Total Downloads
492K+Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget132K+
Support Resolution
N/AUltimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts WidgetN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoUltimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget1 year ago
First Released
2012Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget2016
Age
14 yearsUltimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget10 years
WP Requires
3.5+Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget5.8+
PHP Requires
false+Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget5.6+
Business Model
FreeUltimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts WidgetFree
Latest Version
2.3.2Ultimate Posts Widget
Smart Recent Posts Widget1.0.4

Rating Breakdown

Ultimate Posts Widget

4.5/5(55 reviews)
5
75%
4
13%
3
4%
2
2%
1
7%

Smart Recent Posts Widget

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

Recent Reviews

Ultimate Posts Widget Reviews

by ChrisL

Spam address harvester

This plugin recently became a spam address harvester, sending automated emails to registered users asking them to ‘confirm their address’. Don’t install.

by deadweasel

Great stuff, output looks stellar, minor saving glitch

Really love this widget, looks great on my sidebar, once it’s configured. However, that configuration is a bit of a gotcha, as the visibility settings keep reverting to defaults with everything enable

by Bobthearch

Didn’t work for me.

This didn’t work at all for me. The Display, Filter, and Order tabs were not clickable, leaving no way to tell it which post(s) to use.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ultimate Posts Widget or Smart Recent Posts Widget more popular?
Ultimate Posts Widget has 10K+ active installations while Smart Recent Posts Widget has 9.0K+. Ultimate Posts Widget is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Ultimate Posts Widget or Smart Recent Posts Widget?
Ultimate Posts Widget has a 4.5/5 rating from 55 reviews, while Smart Recent Posts Widget has a 4.8/5 rating from 30 reviews.
Are Ultimate Posts Widget and Smart Recent Posts Widget free?
Ultimate Posts Widget is free and Smart Recent Posts Widget is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Ultimate Posts Widget or Smart Recent Posts Widget?
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?
Ultimate Posts Widget was last updated 1 year ago and Smart Recent Posts Widget was last updated 1 year ago.

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