Social Media Share Buttons & Social… vs Lightweight Social Icons (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Social Media Share Buttons & Social…
100K+ active installs
Free
Lightweight Social Icons
30K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Social Media Share Buttons & Social… has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 5,332 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 30K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Social Media Share Buttons & Social… has accumulated 12M+ total downloads while Lightweight Social Icons has 464K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Social Media Share Buttons & Social… | Lightweight Social Icons | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 5,332 | ◄ | 63 |
| Active Installs | 100K+ | ◄ | 30K+ |
| Total Downloads | 12M+ | ◄ | 464K+ |
| Support Resolution | 57% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 6 years ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2014 | |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.5+ | 4.5+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.9.7 | 1.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Social Media Share Buttons & Social…
Lightweight Social Icons
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Social Media Share Buttons & Social… averaged approximately 770 daily downloads while Lightweight Social Icons averaged 15.
Recent Reviews
Social Media Share Buttons & Social… Reviews
persistent they are.
I will give them a 5 star rating for now, I haven’t even got to setting it up on my site and they have these popups because I deactivated a icon., no big deal, but I usually don’t leave a rating until
I’ll change after experiencing.
se u soon
Will upgrade
Providing 5 stars for making the bulk of the plugin free to the community
Lightweight Social Icons Reviews
Affects Core Web Vitals creating Ensure Text Remains Visible During Webfont Load
I don’t recommend this plugin at all. It signs a useless font which is not displayed in the front end to the users but creates core web vitals issues on the back end. The font name is fontello.woff an
It’s Light!
Hasn’t been updated but super light and solid!
Fantastic Social Icons Plugin
Tom never fails to make amazing plugins and this social icons plugin is no different. I just hope that there are plans to add a discord icon in the near future. 5/5 plugin!
More Social Media Worth Comparing
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Social Media Share Buttons & Social… or Lightweight Social Icons more popular?
Which has better ratings — Social Media Share Buttons & Social… or Lightweight Social Icons?
Are Social Media Share Buttons & Social… and Lightweight Social Icons free?
Which plugin has better support — Social Media Share Buttons & Social… or Lightweight Social Icons?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.