Head-to-head · October 2026
AF Companion vs Custom News Widget
AF Companion comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against Custom News Widget.
AF Companion
Launch professional news and magazine websites with ease. AF Companion is a comprehensive site-management…
Custom News Widget
Custom News Widget is awesome plugin to show all latest news from custom post news. This plugin very easy to…
| Metric | AF Companion | Custom News Widget |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 10K+ | 20+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 26.2K | 39 |
| Download trend | -12.8% | +11.4% |
| Rating | 4.9/5 | 4/5 |
| Reviews | 34 | 1 |
| Health score | 90/100 | 28/100 |
| Last updated | 6 days ago | 9 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 7.1.3 | WP 4.9.34 |
| Support resolved | — | — |
| Requires PHP | Any | 5.2.4+ |
| First released | Feb 2021 | Mar 2018 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
AF CompanionCustom News Widget
Choose AF Companion if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
- Proven at scale on 10K+ active sites
- Loved by users — 4.9/5 from 34 reviews
- Actively developed — last update 6 days ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
Choose Custom News Widget if…
You care most about download trend.
- Small user base (20+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 8 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.9 (latest is 7.1)
Both compete in: news
FAQ
AF Companion vs Custom News Widget: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 20, 2026
Which is better, AF Companion or Custom News Widget?
AF Companion comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against Custom News Widget. Choose AF Companion if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews. Choose Custom News Widget if you care most about download trend.
Is AF Companion more popular than Custom News Widget?
AF Companion is the more popular of the two with 10K+ active installs, compared with 20+ for Custom News Widget.
Can I use AF Companion and Custom News Widget together?
Both plugins cover news, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are AF Companion and Custom News Widget free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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