Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 60% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price.

1. ★★★★★ hurtadodoo

   7mo ago

   Sticky panel plugin is perfect. It keeps my CTA visible without breaking the layout, even on long pages.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ ws24

   11mo ago

   I have indiv. widgets for indiv. pages, setting this up works OK with this plugin. Also together with Polylang for different languages. One remark: the ads in the Widgets overview are a bit too large…. This topic was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by ws24.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ rivmanbx

   1.9y ago

   Installing and activating “this” plugin, add a layer of blur canvas on whole admin pages (all pages). We can’t click on anything. The plugin can be disabled from dashboard, the only way to regain control of the website is to delete (for good) this masterpiece of software….Sadly, not only the name has changed, the developpers also. This is a bad joke….

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ michaeljamisontttttttttttttt

   3.6y ago

   I installed, activated and it crashed the site. POS

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ obsidiaan

   3.6y ago

   If it works, it would be a great plugin however I encountered two major issues. – When entering existing categories, the plugin cannot find them. they will not show up in the list. – When setting the filter on what page & categorie to show the sidebar, it will ignore these filter settings and will replace the sidebar everywhere.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ cambeul

   3.8y ago

   It was good, but suddenly I cannot see/access the widgets because of ads. I installed the advertised items, but now it is just blank where the ads were.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ sabash

   4.6y ago

   Easy setup and desired result. WebFactory – THANK YOU!!!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ huyrealproperty

   5.1y ago

   Custom sidebars is great plugin, but I got a notice that “Custom Sidebars plugin is NOT compatible with the new widgets edit screen (powered by Gutenberg). Install the official Classic Widgets plugin if you want to continue using it” when I update WordPress 5.8 version. Does anyone also have this notice? and is there any effect? I use Flatsome Theme, and everything still looks good.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 3.38 2025-03-04 Bug fix related to notice on Dashboard page causing a fatal error 3.38
2. — Version 3.37 2025-03-01 Minor security and compatibility fixes 3.37
3. — Version 3.36 2022-11-26 Minor security fixes 3.36
4. — Version 3.35 2022-01-11 Improved the classic widgets screen detection – “Classic Widgets” plugin is no longer necessary if you add appropriate filters via some other plugin or theme 3.35
5. — Version 3.32 2021-07-18 Added notice for WP 5.8 3.32
6. — Version 3.31 2021-01-30 Minor fixes Added action link to plugins table 3.31

3 disclosed vulnerabilities on record for this plugin, all fixed in the current version. Sites on older versions stay exposed until they update.

1. High · 8.8 Custom Sidebars <= 3.0.9 - Cross-Site Request Forgery ↗
   2017-10-04 CVE-2017-18510 Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Affects <= 3.0.9 Patched in 3.1.0
2. High · 8.8 Custom Sidebars <= 3.0.8 - Cross-Site Request Forgery ↗
   2017-06-29 CVE-2017-18511 Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Affects <= 3.0.8 Patched in 3.0.8.1
3. Medium · 6.1 Custom Sidebars < 2.1.0.2 - Reflected Cross Site Scripting ↗
   2015-01-11 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects < 2.1.0.2 Patched in 2.1.0.2

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.7.2

Translated into 81 languages, 14 at 90% or more

Plus 57 more locales with partial translations.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2023-01-13 200K+ → 100K+ down

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

• Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags B
• SMK Sidebar Generator 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B
• Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
• Image Widget 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
• Fixed Widget and Sticky Elements for WordPress 80K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
• Meks Simple Flickr Widget 20K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D

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Drop a live Pulse card for Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager: 100K+ active installs, 4.7★ (1,028 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-25. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/custom-sidebars