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Better Font Awesome

By Mickey Kay

Design & Themes / Themes & Templates

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Better Font Awesome Review - In-Depth Analysis

Better Font Awesome integrates the latest Font Awesome versions into WordPress. It offers shortcodes, HTML support, and a TinyMCE generator for easy icon usage.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.46/10

User Rating

4.5/5 (based on 88+ reviews)

Active Installations

60,000+

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

Better Font Awesome allows you to automatically integrate the latest available version of Font Awesome into your WordPress project. It provides accompanying CSS, shortcodes, and a TinyMCE icon shortcode generator.

This plugin is designed to keep your Font Awesome version up-to-date without manual intervention. It is backwards compatible, meaning you can switch versions without modifying your existing shortcodes.

The plugin also features CDN speeds, pulling Font Awesome CSS from the reliable jsDelivr CDN. Users can easily generate shortcodes using the TinyMCE dropdown menu, making it user-friendly for those editing in visual mode.

Comparing to Alternatives

Better Font Awesome is a popular plugin for integrating Font Awesome icons into WordPress sites, but there are several alternatives that offer different features and levels of support.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Supports older Font Awesome 5+ versions preferred by some users
Easy to use with shortcode and HTML methods
Good initial setup and integration
Free to use with no paid version required
Generally positive user ratings with good support noted

Weaknesses

Lacks updates and documentation, especially for block themes
Issues with search functionality in the plugin interface
No TinyMCE editor support in block themes
Known security vulnerabilities fixed only in recent versions

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin holds a strong positive rating with over 83% five-star reviews, but about 11.5% of users gave it low ratings citing functional issues and lack of updates.

Positive highlights

Good Plugin and good support !! - rainafarai
Worked Perfectly (Better than the Font Awesome plugin) - Avrom
Developer is busy but working on the plugin as much as he has time - alexio
Big Problem + Bad Support ... Upgrade: Fine - merlin1764
Good job - alexio

Common complaints

Plugin does not work with latest Font Awesome versions
Shortcode and HTML methods fail in block themes
Search typing functionality is broken
Lack of documentation and updates

Weaknesses

No TinyMCE editor support in block themes
Plugin connects to outdated Font Awesome CDN by default
Some users report poor support response
Security vulnerabilities were present in older versions

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who prefer Font Awesome 5+ icons and want a free, straightforward plugin with shortcode support for classic themes.

Not ideal for

Users working with block themes needing TinyMCE integration, those requiring the latest Font Awesome version by default, or those concerned about plugin security history.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers integration with Font Awesome icons, shortcode support, and basic customization without any cost.

Final Verdict

Better Font Awesome is a solid choice for users needing Font Awesome 5+ icon support with simple shortcode integration, especially in classic WordPress themes. It enjoys a high user rating and positive feedback for ease of use and initial setup.

However, it has limitations including lack of updates for block themes, some functional issues, and a history of security vulnerabilities that have been addressed only in recent versions. Users should consider alternatives if they need the latest Font Awesome versions or enhanced block editor support.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Better Font Awesome plugin.

Better Font Awesome

Font Awesome integration

icon shortcode generator

Screenshots

FAQ

This plugin is unique in that it automatically pulls in all available versions of Font Awesome, meaning you never have to wait for the plugin developer to add the latest version. Furthermore, Better Font Awesome is designed to work with a wide variety of shortcode formats used by other Font Awesome plugins – this means that you can easily switch to Better Font Awesome (if, for example, you need to include icons from the most recent version of Font Awesome, which isn’t always available with other plugins), and they will still work.