Buttonizer vs Simple Social Icons (October 2026)
Updated October 22, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org Social Media Plugins top 10: Buttonizer at #5 and Simple Social Icons at #4. Simple Social Icons leads on 4 of the 6 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
Buttonizer
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds
Floating Social Media Icons, Sticky Share Buttons, Facebook Feeds, & Popup builder. Also, create Call, Email, SMS, & Contact buttons to increa …
Simple Social Icons
Display icons linking to your social profiles, via the classic widget or the core Social Icons block variations.
Who leads on what
Simple Social Icons leads on 4 of the 6 measures we track.
Simple Social Icons ranks higher on WordPress.org: #4 against #5 in Social Media Plugins.
Simple Social Icons has more users: 100,000+ active installs against 40,000+.
Buttonizer is rated higher: 4.8 out of 5 from 396 reviews, against 4.3 from 92 reviews.
Buttonizer has more reviews behind its score: 396 against 92.
Simple Social Icons was updated more recently, on September 17, 2026; Buttonizer on August 13, 2026.
Simple Social Icons was downloaded more in the last 30 days: 10,847 times against 5,082.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
Buttonizer
Pick Buttonizer if the review score matters most to you or you want the score backed by more reviews.
Simple Social Icons
Pick Simple Social Icons if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run, you want the one shipping releases most recently or you want the one being installed faster right now.
Buttonizer vs Simple Social Icons side by side
| Buttonizer | Simple Social Icons | |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Plugins ranking | #5 | #4 |
| Rating | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Reviews | 396 | 92 |
| Active installs | 40,000+ | 100,000+ |
| Total downloads | 1,792,257 | 3,365,948 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 5,082 | 10,847 |
| Last updated | Aug 13, 2026 | Sep 17, 2026 |
| First published | Oct 6, 2012 | Feb 21, 2012 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1.3 | 7.1.3 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| Pricing | Free on WordPress.org | Free |
Downloads per day, last 48 days
Buttonizer ratings
Simple Social Icons ratings
How we compare these two
Every figure here is pulled from the WordPress.org plugin API every day at 03:00 UTC, for both plugins in the same run, so the two are always read on the same day. We compare only what the directory reports: active installs, the rating and how many reviews stand behind it, the last release date and, once we have a month of history, downloads over the last 30 days. Ratings are only called a win above 50 reviews each, because a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence. Nothing is weighted into an overall score, no measure is worth more than another, and neither Buttonizer nor Simple Social Icons can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the Social Media Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
Buttonizer vs Simple Social Icons: common questions
Is Buttonizer better than Simple Social Icons?
Simple Social Icons leads on 4 of the 6 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Simple Social Icons ranks higher on WordPress.org: #4 against #5 in Social Media Plugins.
Which has more users, Buttonizer or Simple Social Icons?
Simple Social Icons ranks higher on WordPress.org: #4 against #5 in Social Media Plugins.
Which is rated higher, Buttonizer or Simple Social Icons?
Simple Social Icons has more users: 100,000+ active installs against 40,000+.
Are Buttonizer and Simple Social Icons free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. Buttonizer may also sell a paid version or add-ons. Simple Social Icons is a community plugin with no paid version.
Alternatives to Buttonizer and Simple Social Icons
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
-
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons
100,000+ installs · 4.8 from 5,333 reviews
-
Social Media Feather
10,000+ installs · 4.6 from 506 reviews
-
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons
10,000+ installs · 4.9 from 1,911 reviews
-
Simple Social Media Share Buttons
20,000+ installs · 4.8 from 194 reviews
-
Metricool
90,000+ installs · 4.4 from 22 reviews
More Social Media Plugins comparisons
- Buttonizer vs Feed Them Social
- Buttonizer vs Jetpack Social
- Buttonizer vs Metricool
- Buttonizer vs OG
- Buttonizer vs Simple Social Media Share Buttons
- Buttonizer vs WPZOOM Connect
- Buttonizer vs Social Media Feather
- Buttonizer vs Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons
- Buttonizer vs Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons
- Buttonizer vs Wp Social
- Feed Them Social vs Simple Social Icons
- Jetpack Social vs Simple Social Icons
Weekly · free
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.