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Widget Importer & Exporter vs Lightweight Sidebar Manager (2026)

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

Widget Importer & Exporter

Widget Importer & Exporter

4.7(117)

200K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Widget Importer & Exporter
VS
Lightweight Sidebar Manager

Lightweight Sidebar Manager

4.2(21)

90K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Lightweight Sidebar Manager

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Widget Importer & Exporter has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 117 reviews) and leads in active installations (200K+ vs 90K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Widget Importer & Exporter has accumulated 5.3M+ total downloads while Lightweight Sidebar Manager has 1.1M+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Widget Importer & Exporter
◄
Lightweight Sidebar Manager4.2/5
Total Reviews
117Widget Importer & Exporter
◄
Lightweight Sidebar Manager21
Active Installs
200K+Widget Importer & Exporter
◄
Lightweight Sidebar Manager90K+
Total Downloads
5.3M+Widget Importer & Exporter
◄
Lightweight Sidebar Manager1.1M+
Support Resolution
N/AWidget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar ManagerN/A
Last Updated
4 months agoWidget Importer & Exporter
◄
Lightweight Sidebar Manager4 months ago
First Released
2013Widget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar Manager2017
Age
13 yearsWidget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar Manager9 years
WP Requires
3.5+Widget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar Manager4.0+
PHP Requires
5.2.4+Widget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar Managerfalse+
Business Model
FreeWidget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar ManagerFree
Latest Version
1.6.1Widget Importer & Exporter
Lightweight Sidebar Manager2.0.0

Rating Breakdown

Widget Importer & Exporter

4.7/5(117 reviews)
5
90%
4
3%
3
1%
2
1%
1
6%

Lightweight Sidebar Manager

4.2/5(21 reviews)
5
71%
4
5%
3
10%
2
0%
1
14%

Recent Reviews

Widget Importer & Exporter Reviews

by Anil Chandra Robidas

Thanks for great plugin.

Simple and Easy to Use

by Chris Lovie-Tyler

Does what I need

Thanks for creating this!

by raffmediapub

Thank you very much

Thank you very much, 6 star plugin

Lightweight Sidebar Manager Reviews

by lucio7

Fantastic plugin, works perfectly, never an issue

Had it for years, always worked perfectly

by twowithink

Very Helpful and Works Nicely

Very helpful plugin and thank you to the developers!!!

by landreiziger

Easy to use, works well

It took jut a few moments to figure out how to use this plugin (just follow the instructions), but then it was very easy. And it allows us to personalize our site to a much greater degree than ever be

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Widget Importer & Exporter or Lightweight Sidebar Manager more popular?
Widget Importer & Exporter has 200K+ active installations while Lightweight Sidebar Manager has 90K+. Widget Importer & Exporter is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Widget Importer & Exporter or Lightweight Sidebar Manager?
Widget Importer & Exporter has a 4.7/5 rating from 117 reviews, while Lightweight Sidebar Manager has a 4.2/5 rating from 21 reviews.
Are Widget Importer & Exporter and Lightweight Sidebar Manager free?
Widget Importer & Exporter is free and Lightweight Sidebar Manager is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Widget Importer & Exporter or Lightweight Sidebar Manager?
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?
Widget Importer & Exporter was last updated 4 months ago and Lightweight Sidebar Manager was last updated 4 months ago.

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