LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… vs Widget Disable (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming…
500K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Widget Disable has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 24 reviews) while LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… leads in active installations (500K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… has accumulated 19M+ total downloads while Widget Disable has 185K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… | Widget Disable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | ► | 4.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 860 | ◄ | 24 |
| Active Installs | 500K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 19M+ | ◄ | 185K+ |
| Support Resolution | 50% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 2 weeks ago | ◄ | 1 year ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2015 | |
| Age | 16 years | 11 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 6.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.1+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.6.20 | 3.0.1 |
Rating Breakdown
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming…
Widget Disable
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… averaged approximately 1,064 daily downloads while Widget Disable averaged 25.
Recent Reviews
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… Reviews
Not for the faint hearted or newbies
My isssue (which I’m currently waiting for help with)- is that it broke my Woocommerce/Divi Shop. The Maintenance Mode is still active on my Homepage even after deactivating Lightstart.I’m sure it wil
Installed Unwanted Plugins
The actual plugin I wanted to use worked fine but it installed two other plugins – an image optimization plugin and some other plugin called Otter. No prompts, notification or nothing. Very sketch.
Excellent Lightweight Easy to use
LightStart is a great addition to any WordPress site if you’re looking for a lightweight, reliable, and easy-to-use solution. It installs quickly, works smoothly without slowing down performance, and
Widget Disable Reviews
It does exactly what it says in the tin
Does the job right and removes the pesky and somewhat useless widgets from the admin dashboard for all users.
Not working on Storefront theme
I tried this plugin to disable the widget section on the storefront theme. But unfortunately it doesnt work.
Quick and easy fix to admin dashboard
Admin dashboard was way too slow recently. Installed this and disabled widgets, found the culprit(s) quickly. Nice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… or Widget Disable more popular?
Which has better ratings — LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… or Widget Disable?
Are LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming… and Widget Disable free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.