Widget Builder
Widget Builder uses native WordPress editing interface to provide a unique tool to build custom widgets for your site(s).
Consider an alternative
Widget Builder shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 500+ sites, is rated 3.7/5 and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (500+ active installs)
- No update in 11 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.3 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Widget Builder stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| admin | >100 |
| featured image | >100 |
| sidebar | >100 |
| simple | >100 |
| widget | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 3.7 from 10 reviews
About Widget Builder
From the official readme · v1.6.2Description
Widget Builder uses native WordPress editing interface to provide a unique tool to build custom widgets for your site(s).
- MU Compatible
- Create admin dashboard widgets NEW!
- Link the image
- Title and Description
- Customize “Read More” link text
- Very versatile. All fields are optional.
- Supports override of template so that you can override the template for your theme!
Tested on PHP 5.2.17, 5.3.14 & 5.4.4 and WP 3.3 & 3.4.
This plugin is actively supported and we will do our best to help you. In return we simply as 3 things:
- Help Out. If you see a question on the forum you can help with or have a great idea and want to code it up and submit a patch, that would be just plain awesome and we will shower you with praise. Might even be a good way to get to know us and lead to some paid work if you freelance. Also, we are happy to post translations if you provide them.
- Donate – if this is generating enough revenue to support our time it makes all the difference in the world
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=R8H3DD84PWAQ2 - Support us by buying our Premium plugins. In particular, check out our Events Calendar Pro http://tri.be/wordpress-events-calendar-pro/
Note: gear vector art used in the WordPress.org banner were created by http://www.opengraphicdesign.com
Documentation
Dashboard Widgets
Select ‘Available As Dashboard Widget’ in the widget editor to enable a widget as a dashboard widget. If you do not want this widget showing in the available widgets list for sidebar placement, select ‘Disable Sidebar Widget’.
Default vs. Custom Templates
The built in template can be overridden by files within your template.
The Widget Builder comes with a default template for the widget output. If you would like to alter the widget display code, create a new folder called “tribe_widget_builder” in your template directory and copy over the “views/widget.php” file.
Edit the new file to your hearts content. Please do not edit the one in the plugin folder as that will cause conflicts when you update the plugin to the latest release.
Alternatively you can point to a path of your choosing using the filter ‘tribe_widget_builder_widget.php’.
Filter widget query args
Filter your query arguments or get_posts altogether for granular fine tuning your listing of widgets or in the case of MU install restricting the builder to one site.
The following filters are available for override
‘tribe_widget_builder_get_posts_args’ // customize the widget query parameters
‘tribe_widget_builder_get_posts’ // change the get_posts() query
Installation
Install
- In your WordPress administration, go to the Plugins page
- Activate the Widget Builder plugin and a subpage for the plugin will appear
in your Appearance menu. - Go to the Appearance > Widget Builder and create the widget
- Go to the Appearance > Widgets page and activate the new widget you created!
If you find any bugs or have any ideas, please mail us.
Please visit the forum for questions or comments: http://WordPress.org/tags/widget-builder/
Requirements
- PHP 5.1 or above
- WordPress 3.0 or above
Frequently asked questions
Where do I go to file a bug or ask a question?
Please visit the forum for questions or comments: http://WordPress.org/tags/widget-builder/
Changelog
1.6.2
- Fix WordPress 4.3 compatibility issues
1.6.1
- Fix missing data bug when using in especially convoluted multisite arrangments
1.6
- Added option to specify link targets
1.4
- Added dashboard widget availability
- Added disable as sidebar widget option
- Created new widget_dashboard.php view template
1.3
- Added option in widget to turn off display of the header title (props to empathik)
- Resolved get_template_hierarchy trimming file extension
- Resolved issue with translation file not being loaded in the /lang folder
- Added es_ES lang translation thanks to elarequi
1.2
- Integrate into the existing $wp_widget_factory global, respecting the singleton intent
- Add caching to prevent extra queries on every page load
- Misc bug fixes
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Widget Builder alternatives
All admin plugins →
FAQ
Widget Builder: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026
Is Widget Builder free?
Yes. Widget Builder is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Widget Builder safe to use in 2026?
Widget Builder shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 500+ sites, is rated 3.7/5 and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Widget Builder?
Widget Builder is active on 500+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 44,342 times since it launched in April 2012. It was downloaded 107 times in the last 30 days.
Does Widget Builder work with WordPress 7.1?
Widget Builder is officially tested up to WordPress 4.3.34, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Widget Builder last updated?
The latest version, 1.6.2, was released on August 21, 2015 (11 years ago).
Who makes Widget Builder?
Widget Builder is developed and maintained by Modern Tribe, Inc..
What are the best alternatives to Widget Builder?
The most popular alternatives to Widget Builder are Loginizer (1M+ installs), Redux Framework (900K+ installs) and Admin Menu Editor (300K+ installs).
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