/ Plugin Category

/ Site Administration & Utilities

/ Site Migration & Cloning

/ Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager

By WebFactory

Site Administration & Utilities / Site Migration & Cloning

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager Review - In-Depth Analysis

Custom Sidebars allows you to manage and replace sidebars on your site easily. Create flexible widget configurations for any page or post.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.81/10

User Rating

4.7/5 (based on 1028+ reviews)

Active Installations

100,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

7.2 / 10 (High Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Manage and replace sidebars and other classic widget areas on your site with Custom Sidebars, a flexible widget area manager.

Make custom sidebar configurations and be able to choose what classic widgets display on each page or post of your site.

Custom Sidebars works ONLY with the classic widgets screen that was used in WordPress before version 5.8. If you want to use it with version 5.8 and above, you have to install the official Classic Widgets plugin or enable the classic widgets interface yourself. Once the classic widgets screen is activated, the plugin will work the same as before.

Custom Sidebars allows you to dynamically display custom widget configurations on any page, post, category, post type, or archive page.

Every part of Custom Sidebars integrates seamlessly with the Widgets menu for simplicity and control. No confusing settings pages or added menu items, just simple core integration.

Install Custom Sidebars and see for yourself why it is the most popular widget extension plugin available for WordPress with over 200,000 active installs.

Comparing to Alternatives

Custom Sidebars offers a robust solution for managing widget areas dynamically, with several viable alternatives available that cater to similar needs.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly rated with a 4.7 average from over 1000 users
Easy setup and effective for creating custom widget areas
Supports individual widgets for specific pages and languages
Works well with popular plugins like Polylang
Free to use with no paid version required

Weaknesses

Known past security vulnerabilities with high risk scores
Some users report compatibility issues with categories and filters
Ads in the widget overview can be intrusive
Reported cases of site crashes and admin interface issues

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin enjoys a strong positive reception with nearly 88% five-star ratings, though about 6% of users report significant issues.

Positive highlights

'Perfect plugin' that keeps CTAs visible without breaking layout (hurtadodoo)
Easy setup and achieves desired results (sabash)
Works well for archives and special pages (mpeng7)
Supports individual widgets per page and language (ws24)

Common complaints

Ads interfere with widget visibility and access
Plugin fails to recognize existing categories and ignores filter settings
Plugin activation can crash the site
Admin pages become unresponsive with a blur overlay

Weaknesses

Past security vulnerabilities with high CVSS scores
Occasional compatibility problems with site filters and categories
Intrusive ads in the widget management area
Stability issues causing site crashes or admin interface problems

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a free, easy-to-use plugin for managing custom widget areas with good compatibility for multilingual sites and individual page widgets.

Not ideal for

Sites requiring guaranteed stability and security without risk of crashes or vulnerabilities, or those sensitive to intrusive ads in the admin interface.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides comprehensive features for creating and managing custom sidebars without limitations.

Final Verdict

Custom Sidebars is a highly rated and popular plugin that offers effective dynamic sidebar management with a straightforward setup and strong user satisfaction. It integrates well with other plugins and supports multilingual sites, making it a valuable tool for many WordPress users.

However, users should be cautious due to past security vulnerabilities and reports of site crashes and admin interface issues. Those prioritizing security and stability may want to consider alternatives or ensure they keep the plugin updated to the latest version.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager plugin.

Custom Sidebar

Dynamic Widgets

Classic Widgets

Screenshots

FAQ

This plugin requires your theme to have widget areas enabled, if you don’t have widget areas enabled you probably need to use a different theme that does!