Head-to-head · October 2026
Font Awesome vs WP Simple Menu Icons
Font Awesome comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against WP Simple Menu Icons.
Font Awesome
The official way to use Font Awesome Free or Pro icons on your WordPress site, brought to you by the Font…
WP Simple Menu Icons
WP Simple Menu Icons provides an easy way to add icons to your WordPress powered navigation menus with the…
| Metric | Font Awesome | WP Simple Menu Icons |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 400K+ | <10 |
| Downloads (30 days) | 34.9K | 36 |
| Download trend | -32.4% | +44% |
| Rating | 3.6/5 | — |
| Reviews | 61 | 0 |
| Health score | 71/100 | 21/100 |
| Last updated | 2 months ago | 6 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 7.1.3 | WP 5.6.22 |
| Support resolved | 0% | — |
| Requires PHP | 7.4+ | 7.2+ |
| First released | Sep 2012 | Dec 2020 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Font AwesomeWP Simple Menu Icons
Choose Font Awesome if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
- Proven at scale on 400K+ active sites
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
Choose WP Simple Menu Icons if…
You care most about download trend.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 5 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.6 (latest is 7.1)
Both compete in: FontAwesome
FAQ
Font Awesome vs WP Simple Menu Icons: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 19, 2026
Which is better, Font Awesome or WP Simple Menu Icons?
Font Awesome comes out ahead, winning 6 of 7 head-to-head checks against WP Simple Menu Icons. Choose Font Awesome if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews. Choose WP Simple Menu Icons if you care most about download trend.
Is Font Awesome more popular than WP Simple Menu Icons?
Font Awesome is the more popular of the two with 400K+ active installs, compared with <10 for WP Simple Menu Icons.
Can I use Font Awesome and WP Simple Menu Icons together?
Both plugins cover FontAwesome, 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 Font Awesome and WP Simple Menu Icons 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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