Essential Widgets

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 · 23% 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. A declining trend compresses what a buyer would pay.

1. ★★★★★ KJA4U

   5.5y ago

   A lot of useful widgets but in the paid version. The free one is limited. This topic was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by KJA4U.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ adminmaw

   6.0y ago

   Excellent

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 3.2.1 Bug Fixed: prefix issue in get_meta_keys function Bug Fixed: defined check for plugin version 3.2.1
2. — Version 3.2 Bug Fixed: Pages widget no longer triggers a fatal error when adding it from the Widgets screen or Customizer Bug Fixed: Settings link on the Plugins page no longer appears on unrelated plugins Bug Fixed: Tags widget’s c 3.2
3. — Version 3.1 Bug Fixed: PHP fatal error in Tags block — undefined variable used as callable Bug Fixed: Posts widget href attribute missing quotes around URL (invalid HTML) Bug Fixed: Scripts now correctly load in the footer across ad 3.1
4. — Version 3.0.1 Bug Fixed: Cross-site Scripting (Reported by Muhammad Yudha – DJ) 3.0.1
5. — Version 3.0 Bug Fixed: Mismatched text domain Bug Fixed: Missing $domain parameter in function Bug Fixed: missing_direct_file_access_protection Bug Fixed: Processing form data without nonce verification Bug Fixed: WordPress.WP.Alter 3.0
6. — Version 2.3 Bug Fixed: Cross-Site Scripting via the title parameter in widget shortcodes (Reported by Mdr https://patchstack.com) 2.3

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

1. Medium · 6.4 Essential Widgets <= 3.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Multiple Shortcodes ↗
   2026-02-04 CVE-2026-0867 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 3.0 Patched in 3.0.1
2. Medium · 6.4 Essential Widgets <= 2.2.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2025-11-26 CVE-2025-67543 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 2.2.2 Patched in 2.3
3. Medium · 5.4 CatchThemes Plugins (Various Versions) - Missing Authorization ↗
   2021-09-20 CVE-2021-24752 Missing Authorization Affects < 1.9 Patched in 1.9

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 1 language, 0 at 90% or more

Growth timeline

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

1. 2024-12-25 20K+ → 10K+ 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).

• Flexible Posts Widget 7K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags D
• SEO Auto Linker 3K+ installs · 4.1★ · 4 shared tags C
• P Post Tags and Categories for Pages 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags B
• P Page Tagger 2K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
• Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more 80K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags C
• List category posts 80K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A

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Drop a live Pulse card for Essential Widgets into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Essential Widgets: 10K+ active installs, 3.5★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-28. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/essential-widgets