/ Plugin Category

/ Content Management

/ Blog & Article Publishing

/ Custom Post Type Widgets

Custom Post Type Widgets

By thingsym

Content Management / Blog & Article Publishing

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Custom Post Type Widgets Review - In-Depth Analysis

Custom Post Type Widgets plugin adds default custom post type widgets. You can filter by registered Custom Post Type or Taxonomy on widgets.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.96/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 14+ reviews)

Active Installations

10,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

The Custom Post Type Widgets plugin provides default widgets for custom post types. Users can filter widgets by registered custom post types or taxonomies.

Widgets include recent posts, archives, categories, calendars, recent comments, tag clouds, and search forms. Each widget can be customized with titles, display options, and filtering settings.

For developers, the plugin includes hooks for further customization. Support is available through forums and GitHub for issues and contributions.

Comparing to Alternatives

Custom Post Type Widgets offers a focused solution for displaying custom post types in widgets, with several notable alternatives available that provide broader content type management features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and effective widget-based display of custom post types.
High compatibility with popular CPT creation plugins like Custom Post Type UI.
Lightweight with no reported security vulnerabilities.
Highly rated by users for ease of use and functionality.
Supports multiple widgets on the same page.

Weaknesses

Limited to widget display, lacks block editor integration.
Does not offer custom post type creation or management features.
Some users report minor compatibility issues with certain plugins.
Customization options like CSS class additions require manual template edits.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a high overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 and no low-star reviews, users generally express strong satisfaction with the plugin's functionality and ease of use.

Positive highlights

"Works perfectly. All I wanted was to list posts from my custom post type in a widget." - fev1967
"Gorgeous Content Plugin, fits perfect with my theme." - metaeditor
"Very useful and efficient, saves time!" - dmsr
"Great plugin! It saved me lots of time!" - yunysia
"Plugin works well adding it as a Widget." - Sergioot

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Lacks Gutenberg block support, limiting use in block editor environments.
Customization requires manual template adjustments.
Some users report occasional issues with filtering when used alongside certain CPT plugins.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who want a straightforward way to display custom post types in widget areas without needing complex setup or management features.

Not ideal for

Those looking for full custom post type creation or management tools, or who require Gutenberg block support for custom post types.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides full widget functionality to display custom post types with no apparent limitations.

Final Verdict

Custom Post Type Widgets is a highly rated, secure, and lightweight plugin that excels at displaying custom post types in widget areas. It is praised for its simplicity and effectiveness, making it a great choice for users needing this specific functionality without extra complexity.

However, it lacks block editor integration and advanced customization options, which may limit its appeal for users wanting more comprehensive content type management or Gutenberg support. Overall, it offers excellent value as a free plugin for its intended purpose.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Custom Post Type Widgets plugin.

Custom Post Type

Taxonomy

Widget

Widgets

Screenshots

FAQ

You may need to edit the permalink of custom post type.

By default, WordPress will not work Date-based permalinks of custom post type.

For example, a month link generates a link in a format like /<custom post type name>/date/YYYY/MM/, if you set Numeric in Common Settings in Permalink Settings.

The month link has the following two patterns depending on the Common Settings.
But a link like below will not work.

/<custom post type name>/YYYY/MM/ (Day and name, Month and name, Post name)
/<custom post type name>/date/YYYY/MM/ (Numeric)

Recommend that you install the plugin in order to edit the permalink, if you are using a Date-based permalinks by the Widget.

And try the following:

Custom Post Type Rewrite
https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-post-type-rewrite/

If you installed multiple plugins that can edit permalinks, the rewrite rules or permalinks may interfere.

In that case, you can disable the generation of permalinks by setting the following two constants in wp-config.php or the theme’s function.php.

CUSTOM_POST_TYPE_WIDGETS_DISABLE_LINKS_ARCHIVE
CUSTOM_POST_TYPE_WIDGETS_DISABLE_LINKS_CALENDAR

define( ‘CUSTOM_POST_TYPE_WIDGETS_DISABLE_LINKS_ARCHIVE’, true );
define( ‘CUSTOM_POST_TYPE_WIDGETS_DISABLE_LINKS_CALENDAR’, true );

You can use the action hook custom_post_type_widgets/recent_posts/widget/prepend to adding thumbnails.

Code sample is as follows:

function cptw_hooks_setup() {   add_action( 'custom_post_type_widgets/recent_posts/widget/prepend', 'cptw_recent_posts_prepend', 10, 4 ); } add_action( 'after_setup_theme', 'cptw_hooks_setup' );  function cptw_recent_posts_prepend( $widget_id, $posttype, $instance, $recent_post ) {   if ( has_post_thumbnail( $recent_post ) ) {     echo get_the_post_thumbnail( $recent_post );   } }

Insert the above code into functions.php in your theme.