# News

> News has 100+ active installs, a 5/5 rating from 3 reviews and 199 downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 32/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Consider an alternative.** News shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 4 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.

**News Widget is awesome tool to show all latest news from Mashable. This plugin very easy to use, it’s easy and user-friendly. You can integrate news anywhere you need, just add News Widget to your sidebar, figure it and…**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 100+
- **Total downloads:** 22,033
- **Downloads (30 days):** 199 (+11.8% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 5/5 from 3 reviews
- **Health score:** 32/100 (At risk)
- **Version:** 5.2
- **Last updated:** Sep 23, 2022
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 6.0.17
- **Requires:** WordPress 2.9+
- **Support resolved:** 0 of 0 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** smplug-in (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/smplug-in/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/news-widget/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [mashable](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/mashable/) | #1 | 2 |
| [news](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/news/) | #37 | 216 |
| [news plugin](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/news-plugin/) | #2 | 4 |
| [News Widget](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/news-widget/) | #2 | 7 |
| [social networking](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/social-networking/) | #8 | 24 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| mashable | #2 | 10 |
| news | >100 | 10,000 |
| news plugin | >100 | 10,000 |
| News Widget | >100 | 10,000 |
| social networking | #41 | 146 |

## Version adoption

- 5.2: 69.1%
- 4.2: 20.4%
- 5.0: 10.5%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | [Jumbo Share](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/jumbo-share/) | 10+ | — | Dec 6, 2015 | 23/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is News free?
Yes. News is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is News safe to use in 2026?
News shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 4 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use News?
News is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 22,033 times since it launched in September 2014. It was downloaded 199 times in the last 30 days.

### Does News work with WordPress 7.1?
News is officially tested up to WordPress 6.0.17, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

### When was News last updated?
The latest version, 5.2, was released on September 23, 2022 (4 years ago).

### Who makes News?
News is developed and maintained by smplug-in.

### What are the best alternatives to News?
The most popular alternatives to News are Jumbo Share (10+ installs).


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Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/news-widget/ · Generated 2026-10-19 22:22 UTC by PageForge