The strongest alternative to Content Views for most sites is Post Grid, which offers richer grid layouts and styling controls for showcasing posts. For a lightweight, free, shortcode-driven option, Display Posts is the best pick, and WP Show Posts is the standout for a simple, fast post list. We ranked these from our index of 55,000+ WordPress plugins.

Why people switch from Content Views

• People who want more grid layouts and design control move to Post Grid or Essential Grid.
• Users who prefer a lean, code-friendly shortcode without a heavy builder move to Display Posts.
• Site owners wanting a simple, fast way to list posts anywhere move to WP Show Posts.
• Affiliate sites that need to pull in product data rather than just posts move to Content Egg.

Post Grid – Rich grid layouts

Post Grid from PickPlugins builds responsive grids and lists of posts with a range of layouts, filters, and styling options. Against Content Views, it offers more layout variety and finer visual control out of the box. The drawback is that the many options make it heavier and busier to configure, and the most polished templates and carousel features sit behind the Pro version.

Choose Post Grid if you want more grid layouts and visual styling for post displays.

Display Posts – Lightweight shortcode

Display Posts from Bill Erickson lists posts anywhere with a flexible, well-documented shortcode and developer-friendly hooks. Against Content Views, it is far lighter and cleaner if you are comfortable with parameters. The drawback is that it has no visual builder and minimal styling of its own, so making the output look good is on you and your theme rather than the plugin.

Choose Display Posts if you want a lightweight, developer-friendly shortcode with no bloat.

Content Egg – Affiliate content

Content Egg pulls in product data, prices, and reviews from affiliate networks and marketplaces to build comparison and product content. Against Content Views, it targets monetised affiliate displays rather than showcasing your own posts. The drawback is that it is really an affiliate tool, not a general post-grid plugin, so it is the wrong fit unless your goal is specifically product comparison content.

Choose Content Egg if you are building affiliate product comparisons rather than post grids.

WP Show Posts – Simple fast lists

WP Show Posts from the GeneratePress team creates lightweight, customisable post lists and grids you place with a shortcode. Against Content Views, it is lean and quick to set up for straightforward displays. The drawback is that development has largely stalled, so while it still works, it is not actively evolving and lacks newer features and block-editor niceties.

Choose WP Show Posts if you want a fast, simple post list without extra weight.

essential-grid – Designer grids

Essential Grid from ThemePunch is a premium grid builder for creating polished, animated galleries and post grids with extensive design controls. Against Content Views, it offers far more visual and animation options for design-led layouts. The drawback is that it is a paid CodeCanyon plugin with no free version, and its power comes with a heavier footprint than a simple post-display tool needs.

Choose essential-grid if you want highly designed, animated grids and will pay for them.

When to stay on Content Views

Stay on Content Views if its balance of a visual builder and no-code setup already gives you the grids and lists you want. It lets non-developers query and display posts with filters and pagination without touching shortcode parameters, which many of the lighter options give up. If your displays look right and load fine, switching mainly trades one learning curve for another with little practical gain.

How we ranked these

Every plugin here is scored by the WPS Score, a single 0 to 10 rating built from 21 signals covering maintenance, support responsiveness, compatibility, performance, and ratings quality across our index of 55,000+ plugins. Rankings are derived from that data, not editorial preference, and no plugin author can pay to change a score. How the WPS Score works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Content Views?

Display Posts is a strong free alternative if you are comfortable with shortcodes, offering flexible queries and developer hooks. WP Show Posts is another free option for simple post lists and grids, though it is no longer actively developed.

Can I display posts in a grid without a page builder?

Yes. Content Views, Post Grid, and WP Show Posts all let you create post grids using shortcodes or blocks, without a full page builder. Display Posts also works this way and is popular with developers who prefer a lightweight, code-based approach.

Is Content Egg a good alternative to Content Views?

Only if your goal is affiliate content. Content Egg specialises in importing product data, prices, and reviews from affiliate networks, not in displaying your own posts. For general post grids and lists, Post Grid, Display Posts, or WP Show Posts are much closer replacements for Content Views.

The verdict

The best all-round alternative is Post Grid for its layout variety, with Display Posts the free pick for lightweight, code-friendly displays and WP Show Posts a simple option for fast lists. Still, Content Views pairs a visual builder with no-code setup, so if that suits how you work and your grids look good, staying on it is a sensible choice.