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Genesis Simple Sidebars

By StudioPress

Design & Themes / Themes & Templates

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Genesis Simple Sidebars Review - In-Depth Analysis

Create multiple dynamic widget areas for the Genesis Framework. Assign widget areas to sidebar locations easily.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.95/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 27+ 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

This plugin allows you to create multiple, dynamic widget areas, and assign those widget areas to sidebar locations within the Genesis Framework on a per post, per page, or per tag/category archive basis.

Creating widget areas programmatically, then using conditional logic to properly assign them to sidebar locations can be a complex task for a beginner. This plugin allows you to do all this from a simple administration menu, and assign widget areas to sidebar locations with simple drop-down menus within the post/page edit screens, or when editing a tag or category.

Comparing to Alternatives

Genesis Simple Sidebars is a specialized plugin for managing sidebars on Genesis framework sites. It has several alternatives that offer similar sidebar management features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Seamless integration with Genesis framework.
Easy to create and assign custom sidebars.
Highly rated for straightforward functionality.
No known security vulnerabilities.
Free to use without upsells.

Weaknesses

Some users report sidebars not displaying as expected.
Limited support and updates compared to alternatives.
No pro version with advanced features.
May not support complex sidebar configurations.

User Sentiment Analysis

With 85% of ratings at 5 stars and a small portion at 1 star, user sentiment is generally positive but polarized due to functionality issues reported by some users.

Positive highlights

"Worked Great Out of the Box" - daguru69
"Great, clean functionality" - biberkopf
"Works as Stated" - Britlish

Common complaints

Sidebars created do not appear on pages.
Only the primary sidebar shows up despite adding widgets to new sidebars.
Lack of effective support from developers.
Plugin functionality issues after testing for conflicts.

Weaknesses

Inconsistent sidebar display behavior.
Support responsiveness is poor.
Limited customization options.
No updates addressing reported issues recently.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users running Genesis framework sites who want a simple, free solution to manage custom sidebars without complex requirements.

Not ideal for

Users needing robust sidebar management with guaranteed support or those experiencing sidebar display issues should consider alternatives or more actively supported plugins.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version allows creation and assignment of custom sidebars with basic functionality suitable for most Genesis users.

Final Verdict

Genesis Simple Sidebars offers a straightforward and free solution for managing sidebars within the Genesis framework, earning high praise from many users for its ease of use and clean functionality. However, a notable minority report significant issues with sidebars not displaying and lack of support, which may impact reliability for some.

While it has no known security vulnerabilities and integrates well with Genesis, users requiring advanced features or dependable support might find better options among its alternatives. Overall, it is a solid choice for those seeking simplicity and free functionality, but not ideal for users needing guaranteed performance and support.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Genesis Simple Sidebars plugin.

Genesis

Dynamic widget areas

Sidebar management

FAQ

No. You can only assign them to the primary and secondary sidebars, using the plugin.

However, once a widget area has been created, you can use hooks to programmatically display those widget areas throughout the theme. But if you’re going to do that, it’s very unlikely that you would want to use the plugin to create the widget areas. You might as well just create the widget areas programmatically too.