Head-to-head · October 2026
Custom News Widget vs News
News comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against Custom News Widget.
Custom News Widget
Custom News Widget is awesome plugin to show all latest news from custom post news. This plugin very easy to…
News
Features of News Widget: User friendly and easy to use. Tested with other popular plugins. Ability to set…
| Metric | Custom News Widget | News |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 20+ | 100+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 42 | 199 |
| Download trend | +16.7% | +9.9% |
| Rating | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Reviews | 1 | 3 |
| Health score | 28/100 | 32/100 |
| Last updated | 9 years ago | 4 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 4.9.34 | WP 6.0.17 |
| Support resolved | — | — |
| Requires PHP | 5.2.4+ | Any |
| First released | Mar 2018 | Sep 2014 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Custom News WidgetNews
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)
Choose News if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
- Small user base (100+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 4 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.0 (latest is 7.1)
Both compete in: news news plugin News Widget
FAQ
Custom News Widget vs News: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 21, 2026
Which is better, Custom News Widget or News?
News comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against Custom News Widget. Choose Custom News Widget if you care most about download trend. Choose News if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
Is Custom News Widget more popular than News?
News is the more popular of the two with 100+ active installs, compared with 20+ for Custom News Widget.
Can I use Custom News Widget and News together?
Both plugins cover news, news plugin and News Widget, 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 Custom News Widget and News free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
