10 Best Columns Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Columns has 3,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Columns
- 1
Genesis Columns Advanced
Closest match4.8 (25) 10,000+ active installsAdds shortcodes to easily create up to 42 different columned layouts.
Shares the columns, shortcode tags on WordPress.org. About 3.3 times the installs, no update since June 23, 2024.
- 2
4.8 (134) 60,000+ active installsAdds shortcodes to easily create columns in your posts or pages.
Shares the columns, shortcode tags on WordPress.org. About 20 times the installs, no update since October 11, 2022.
- 3
4.9 (42) 10,000+ active installsEasily add desktop, tablet and mobile friendly columns to your content using an easy to use shortcode.
Shares the columns tag on WordPress.org. About 3.3 times the installs, no update since March 14, 2019.
- 4
4.5 (43) 30,000+ active installsEnable Columns, Filters, Quick Edit and Bulk Edit for ACF Fields in WordPress List Tables
Shares the columns tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, no update since January 11, 2025.
- 5
Admin Columns
Paid version available4.9 (1,651) 100,000+ active installsTake control of your WordPress admin list tables. Add, remove, and reorder columns for posts, users, media, and more - no coding needed.
Shares the columns tag on WordPress.org. About 33 times the installs, last updated 6 days ago.
- 6
4.6 (21) 100+ active installsA simple page grid composer that splits your pages into ordered grids, a builder for rows and columns
Shares the columns tag on WordPress.org. 100+ installs against 3,000+, no update since June 17, 2015.
- 7
4.8 (71) 30,000+ active installsInsert Pages lets you embed any WordPress content (e.g., pages, posts, custom post types) into other WordPress content using the Shortcode API.
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated June 19, 2026.
- 8
4.7 (69) 20,000+ active installsA visual way to add CSS buttons in the rich text editor and to your themes.
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 6.7 times the installs, no update since November 4, 2024.
- 9
4.2 (53) 20,000+ active installsA responsive and clean way to display your team. Create members, add their positions, bios (and more...) and copy-paste the shortcode anywhere.
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 6.7 times the installs, last updated January 29, 2026.
- 10
4.8 (40) 20,000+ active installsExtend Gutenberg Reusable Blocks feature with a complete admin panel, widgets, shortcodes and PHP functions.
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 6.7 times the installs, last updated 10 days ago.
Switching from Columns: common questions
What is the best alternative to Columns?
Genesis Columns Advanced is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 10,000+ active installs with a 4.8 out of 5 rating.
Which Columns alternative has the most users?
Admin Columns, with 100,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Columns alternative is rated highest?
Admin Columns, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 1,651 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Columns alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Columns score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Columns on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Genesis Columns Advanced is the closest match to Columns by the data we track, and Admin Columns has the widest reach with 100,000+ active installs. Admin Columns shipped the most recent release, on September 1, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
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What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.