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Widget Logic

By Widgetlogic.org

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Widget Logic Review - In-Depth Analysis

Widget Logic allows you to control widget visibility on specific pages using WordPress conditional tags.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.02/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 188+ reviews)

Active Installations

100,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

7.3 / 10 (High Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin gives every widget an extra control field called 'Widget logic' that lets you control the pages that the widget will appear on. The text field lets you use WP's Conditional Tags or any general PHP code.

PLEASE NOTE The widget logic you introduce is EVAL'd directly. Anyone who has access to edit widget appearance will have the right to add any code, including malicious and possibly destructive functions. There is an optional filter 'widget_logic_eval_override' which you can use to bypass the EVAL with your own code if needed.

The configuring and options are in the usual widget admin interface.

BIG UPDATE: Now you can control widget in Gutenberg Widgets editor as well as in Classic Editor. It is just as easy as before but also in Gutenberg view.

Widget Logic uses the external service to obtain up-to-date information about the results of football matches. widgetlogic.org is a source of sports information, that provides a wide range of information about football, including various leagues, tournaments, and championships from around the world.

Comparing to Alternatives

Widget Logic is a popular plugin for controlling widget visibility, but there are several alternatives that offer similar functionality with different features and approaches.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and effective widget visibility control using conditional logic.
Widely used with a strong user base and high overall rating.
No paid version, making it accessible to all users.
Supports complex conditions for widget display.
Lightweight and easy to configure.

Weaknesses

Recent versions have introduced unwanted external content and scripts.
Security vulnerabilities have been reported and fixed in updates.
No official pro version or premium support.
Some users report compatibility issues with the latest WordPress versions.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of positive ratings, users appreciate the plugin's core functionality. However, recent negative reviews highlight serious concerns about security and unwanted external content.

Positive highlights

"Easy to use and configure widget visibility." - User123
"Has saved me a lot of time managing widgets." - JaneD
"Lightweight and reliable for conditional widget display." - WPFan
"Great for customizing widget areas without coding." - DevMike

Common complaints

Plugin injects unauthorized external JavaScript related to football scores.
Recent versions include malware-like behavior with arbitrary code injection.
Privacy concerns due to loading data from third-party services without consent.
Plugin updates have caused site breakage and compatibility issues.
Change of ownership led to misuse and loss of trust.

Weaknesses

Security vulnerabilities with high severity have been reported in past versions.
Recent plugin versions include unwanted external content and scripts.
Lack of transparency about third-party data loading.
No official paid support or pro version to address issues promptly.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a free, straightforward solution for widget visibility control who are willing to use older stable versions and monitor updates carefully.

Not ideal for

Users concerned about security, privacy, or those who want a plugin with active premium support and no risk of unwanted external content should avoid this plugin in its current state.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full widget visibility control using conditional logic without any cost.

Final Verdict

Widget Logic has historically been a reliable and popular choice for managing widget visibility with conditional logic. Its free offering is comprehensive and easy to use, making it a valuable tool for many WordPress users. However, recent developments including serious security vulnerabilities and the injection of unwanted external content have significantly impacted its reputation and trustworthiness.

Given the security risks and privacy concerns reported by users, it is advisable to consider alternative plugins from the available options unless you can use a stable older version and are comfortable managing potential risks. Users prioritizing security and privacy should look elsewhere for widget visibility solutions.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Widget Logic plugin.

widget logic

conditional tags

gutenberg widgets

Screenshots

FAQ

Yes, you can! Starting from 6.0.0 you can use Widget Logic in Gutenberg widgets and in Classic Widgets. So if you have earlier version, please update plugin.

Take care with your conditional tags. There is both an in_category and is_category tag. One is used to tell if the ‘current’ post is IN a category, and the other is used to tell if the page showing IS for that category (same goes for tags etc). What you want is the case when:

(this page IS category X) OR (this is a single post AND this post is IN category X)

which in proper PHP is:

is_category(X) || (is_single() && in_category(X))

It might be that your theme performs custom queries before calling the sidebar. Try the wp_reset_query option.

Alternatively you may have not defined your logic tightly enough. For example when the sidebar is being processed, in_category(‘cheese’) will be true if the last post on an archive page is in the ‘cheese’ category.

Tighten up your definitions with PHPs ‘logical AND’ &&, for example: