Nested Pages vs Essential Widgets (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Nested Pages has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 125 reviews) and leads in active installations (90K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Nested Pages has accumulated 2.2M+ total downloads while Essential Widgets has 489K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Nested Pages | Essential Widgets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 3.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 125 | ◄ | 2 |
| Active Installs | 90K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.2M+ | ◄ | 489K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ► | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2017 | |
| Age | 12 years | 9 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.8+ | 5.9+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.4+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.2.13 | 3.0.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Nested Pages
Essential Widgets
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Nested Pages averaged approximately 248 daily downloads while Essential Widgets averaged 66.
Recent Reviews
Nested Pages Reviews
Ruined my linking everywhere.
I tried using the Nested Pages to clean up the management of my pages a bit. I didn’t realize it was going to change the links of literally all my pages, break my Ultimate Member plugin, and overall j
Would be nice, but is conficting with menu plugin
I do like this plugin, although it misses pagination. But the main reason that I cannot use it, is that I have organized my menu with #admin-menu-editor. And nested-pages really cannot work with i
Just what I needed!
Great little plugin. Brought my page management list down from 5 pages to just one, by using submenus. I highly recommend. I am not a power user, so a plugin that is simple to install, simple to under
Essential Widgets Reviews
alot of useful widgets but in the paid version
A lot of useful widgets but in the paid version. The free one is limited. This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by KJA4U.
Excellent
Excellent
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.