Widget Importer & Exporter Review - In-Depth Analysis
Easily import and export your WordPress widgets between sites. Backup and restore widgets seamlessly.
Performance Overview
User Rating
4.7/5 (based on 117+
reviews)
Active Installations
200,000+
Update Frequency
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
Widget Importer & Exporter is a plugin designed to help you move widgets from one WordPress site to another. It is particularly useful for backing up widgets and for theme developers who want to provide users with sample widgets.
Importing is straightforward. You can upload an export file created by the plugin, and the results will be displayed in a formatted table. This table explains what happened with each widget area and widget during the import process.
The plugin ensures that widget areas that do not exist in the current theme will have their widgets imported as inactive. It also prevents duplication by not importing widgets that already exist in the same widget area. Additionally, unsupported widgets will not be imported.
On the export side, Widget Importer & Exporter can generate an export file in JSON format, which you can use to transfer currently active widgets to other sites or restore them later on the same site.
For developers, the plugin provides hooks like wie_before_import and wie_after_import, allowing for custom actions during the import process. You can also find the plugin's source code and report issues on GitHub.
Comparing to Alternatives
Widget Importer & Exporter occupies a specific niche—moving widget configurations between sites—and faces competition from plugins focused on widget duplication, disabling, or classic widget restoration rather than direct import/export equivalents.
Strengths
- Purpose-built for exporting and importing widget setups between sites, a task most alternatives don't directly address
- Confirmed to work with block-based widgets, not just legacy widgets
- Lightweight and focused, with no unnecessary bloat
- Strong reputation for reliability across a large user base
Weaknesses
- Doesn't offer widget duplication within a single site, unlike some alternatives
- No option to disable specific widgets, a feature covered by dedicated plugins
User Sentiment Analysis
With a 4.7/5 average from 117 ratings and nearly 90% five-star reviews, sentiment toward this plugin is overwhelmingly positive. The small 6.8% share of 1-2 star ratings didn't surface any specific written complaints, suggesting isolated or unexplained low scores rather than a documented pattern of issues.
Positive highlights
- "Clear and fast plugin" — Unreal Themes
- "Simple and easy to use... Thanks for great plugin" — quyle
- "It works with blocks, too! Exporting and importing a full widget built with several blocks seems to be not possible [elsewhere]. This plugin solves that problem" — jofer
- "Thank you very much, 6 star plugin" — raffmediapub
- "Does what I need" — Chris Lovie-Tyler
Weaknesses
- A small fraction of users (6.8%) rated it 1-2 stars without leaving explanatory reviews, leaving their concerns unclear
- No pro version or ongoing feature roadmap suggests limited scope for future enhancements
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Ideal for site owners and developers migrating widget configurations between WordPress installations, especially when working with block-based widgets that other tools may not handle well. It suits anyone needing a quick, no-frills solution for backing up or transferring sidebar setups.
Not ideal for
Not the right fit for users looking to duplicate widgets within the same site, disable specific widgets, or manage classic vs. block widget switching—those tasks are better served by the alternative plugins listed above.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The plugin is entirely free and provides full widget import/export functionality, including compatibility with block-based widgets, with no feature restrictions noted.
Final Verdict
Widget Importer & Exporter earns its strong 4.7/5 rating through a clear, focused purpose: reliably moving widget setups between WordPress sites, including modern block-based widgets. With zero known vulnerabilities and a clean WPScan security history, it's a low-risk addition for anyone needing this specific functionality, and the complete absence of documented complaints in negative reviews reinforces its dependability.
While several alternatives exist, most address adjacent needs like duplication or disabling rather than true cross-site import/export, meaning this plugin retains a fairly distinct role in its category. Being entirely free with no pro upsell, it offers straightforward value without pricing complexity—making it a solid, low-friction choice for its intended use case.
Other Notable Features
Here are a few other notable features of this free
Widget Importer & Exporter plugin.
FAQ
The export file contains JSON data that is not compatible with any other plugin. Therefore it has a proprietary file extension. This keeps people from confusing export files from other widget import/export plugins.
Contributors and developers
“Widget Importer & Exporter”
is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.
