Head-to-head · October 2026
Most Popular Posts vs Simple Popular Posts
Most Popular Posts comes out ahead, winning 5 of 6 head-to-head checks against Simple Popular Posts.
Most Popular Posts
Most Popular Posts is a basic widget for your sidebar that creates a list of links to the top posts on your…
Simple Popular Posts
Simple Popular Posts is a plugin that creates a widget for you to put on your sidebar. The widget shows the…
| Metric | Most Popular Posts | Simple Popular Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 100+ | 10+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 84 | 68 |
| Download trend | +20% | +21.4% |
| Rating | 2/5 | — |
| Reviews | 1 | 0 |
| Health score | 23/100 | 23/100 |
| Last updated | 14 years ago | 16 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 3.5.2 | WP 2.9.2 |
| Support resolved | — | — |
| Requires PHP | Any | Any |
| First released | Aug 2008 | May 2010 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Most Popular PostsSimple Popular Posts
Choose Most Popular Posts 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 13 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.5 (latest is 7.1)
Choose Simple Popular Posts if…
You care most about download trend.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 16 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 2.9 (latest is 7.1)
Both compete in: comments most popular widget
FAQ
Most Popular Posts vs Simple Popular Posts: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 13, 2026
Which is better, Most Popular Posts or Simple Popular Posts?
Most Popular Posts comes out ahead, winning 5 of 6 head-to-head checks against Simple Popular Posts. Choose Most Popular Posts if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews. Choose Simple Popular Posts if you care most about download trend.
Is Most Popular Posts more popular than Simple Popular Posts?
Most Popular Posts is the more popular of the two with 100+ active installs, compared with 10+ for Simple Popular Posts.
Can I use Most Popular Posts and Simple Popular Posts together?
Both plugins cover comments, most popular and 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 Most Popular Posts and Simple Popular Posts 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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