/ Plugin Category

/ Marketing & Advertising

/ Social Media Marketing

/ Crafty Social Buttons

Crafty Social Buttons

By Sarah

Marketing & Advertising / Social Media Marketing

Crafty Social Buttons Review - In-Depth Analysis

Crafty Social Buttons adds social sharing and link buttons for craft-related sites and major social networks. Customize button styles and positions to enhance your website's social engagement.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.82/10

User Rating

4.7/5 (based on 40+ reviews)

Active Installations

900+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin adds a set of social buttons to your website, including craft-related social sites like Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, and Pinterest, as well as other major social networks, including WhatsApp. Support for sharing to WhatsApp is also provided on mobile devices. You can choose from nine different button styles to match your theme. You can have the share buttons automatically added to the top or bottom of each post, and can position the link buttons using either a widget, a shortcode, or a template action hook.

You can use the share button and link button functions either separately or together: Share Button mode allows you to put a set of buttons at the top or bottom of each post. Each button will share that post with that particular service. For instance, clicking the Facebook icon will open a window for the user to share your post on their Facebook page. Not all services support sharing; for example, you can’t share via Etsy or Craftsy.

Link Button mode lets you configure the buttons to link directly to your profiles on the social networks. For instance, clicking the Facebook icon will take the user to your Facebook page, while clicking the Etsy icon will take them to your Etsy shop. These buttons can be included in your header, sidebars, or footer, as they are not specific to a post. You can easily include them by adding the Social Link Button widget to the area where you want the buttons to appear.

Supported social services include Craftinoo, Craftsy, Dawanda, Digg, Ebay, Email, Etsy, Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Ravelry, Reddit, Specific Feeds, Stumble Upon, Tumblr, Twitter, Vimeo, VK, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Xing.

You can also choose exactly which services you want separately for each mode, allowing you to have Share Buttons for Ravelry, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Email, but Link Buttons for Google+, Craftsy, Pinterest, and your Etsy shop.

For more information, see the plugin website.

Future Editions include adding the ability to share/link to Flipboard, Goodreads, and 500px; additional options for layout and style of the buttons; and shortcode options for more manual control of the buttons.

Comparing to Alternatives

Crafty Social Buttons offers a straightforward solution for adding social sharing buttons to WordPress sites. When compared to other similar plugins, it stands out for its simplicity and ease of use.

Top alternatives

Crafty Social Buttons

Strengths

Simple and easy to configure social sharing buttons.
Lightweight plugin that does not slow down the website.
Supports multiple social networks for sharing.
Clean and responsive button designs.

Weaknesses

Limited customization options compared to more advanced plugins.
No premium version to unlock additional features.
Lacks advanced analytics or tracking capabilities.

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback highlights the plugin's ease of use and effectiveness, though some desire more features.

Positive highlights

"Very easy to set up and works flawlessly." - User A
"Lightweight and doesn't affect site speed." - User B
"Good selection of social networks included." - User C

Common complaints

Limited customization options.
No updates or new features in recent times.

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced sharing options.
No premium support available.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a simple, no-fuss social sharing plugin that is easy to install and configure.

Not ideal for

Those needing extensive customization, advanced features, or dedicated support may find this plugin insufficient.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes essential social sharing buttons with basic customization and support for multiple social networks.

Final Verdict

Crafty Social Buttons is a solid choice for users who want a lightweight and straightforward social sharing solution without complexity.

However, users seeking advanced features or premium support should consider alternative plugins with more comprehensive offerings.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Crafty Social Buttons plugin.

social sharing

social buttons

craft-related social sites

Screenshots

FAQ

The easiest way to install is through the WordPress control panel. On the plugins page, search for Crafty Social Buttons and click Install. Once installed, Activate the plugin.

You can also download the plugin and then follow these steps:

Upload the whole crafty-social-buttons folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress

Once you have activated, you will see a message bar confirming that it has been installed, with a convenient link to the settings page where you can configure the options for how and where the buttons will appear.
You will also find a new Widget called Crafty Social Link Buttons, which can be added to any widget area in your theme.