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Essential Widgets

by Catch Themes · 10,000+ active installs · Checked 3 Nov 2026
Healthy

Healthy: maintained, last release 18 Jun 2026, 8 releases in 24 months, no unpatched vulnerabilities.

85/ 100 Canary Score
Sub-scores for Essential Widgets
Ownership100
Maintenance90
Security90
Support70
Reputation60

How the score works

Quick answers

Is Essential Widgets still maintained?
Yes. Last release 18 Jun 2026, 8 releases in the last 24 months. 18 Jun 2026 · wordpress.org
Who owns Essential Widgets, and has it changed hands?
No change recorded. Main committer catchthemes since Nov 2017. 3 Nov 2026 · SVN log
Was Essential Widgets removed from wordpress.org?
No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 3 Nov 2026. 3 Nov 2026 · wordpress.org
Is Essential Widgets safe?
3 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 3.0.1). Not on the exploited list. 4 Feb 2026 · Wordfence Intelligence
Is the latest Essential Widgets update safe to install?
No ownership change before 3.2.1. No one-star spike after it. 18 Jun 2026 · Release history

Active signals

Facts we detected, with links to the source.

  • InfoMOM-2Downloads in the last 4 weeks are down more than half vs the 26-week average. Review this plugin.4 Nov 2026Evidence

Ownership timeline

Who commits to the plugin's code on wordpress.org, over time.

Committers and their active periods
catchthemes22 Nov 2017 to 18 Jun 2026, 41 commits

1 committer recorded. No ownership change since 2017.

Maintenance

Last release
5 months ago
Releases, 24 months
8
Tested up to
7.0 vs 7.1
Requires PHP
7.4 supported 8.2+
Releases per quarter
Releases per quarter for Essential Widgets
Q1 20240
Q2 20241
Q3 20240
Q4 20240
Q1 20250
Q2 20251
Q3 20250
Q4 20251
Q1 20262
Q2 20264
Q3 20260
Q4 20260

Last release 18 Jun 2026. Tested up to 7.0, 1 major version behind WordPress 7.1.

Reputation

Last 90 days: no reviews. Lifetime: 3.5.

Rating distribution
5 star1
4 star0
3 star0
2 star1
1 star0
Latest low reviews

Security record

2 vulnerabilities in 24 months (3 on record), all patched (latest fixed in 3.0.1).

Show 3 patched vulnerabilities
PublishedIssueCVSSAffectedFixed inDays to patch
4 Feb 2026Essential Widgets <= 3.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Multiple Shortcodes6.4<= 3.03.0.1Patched before disclosure
26 Nov 2025Essential Widgets <= 2.2.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting6.4<= 2.2.22.3Patched before disclosure
20 Sep 2021CatchThemes Plugins (Various Versions) - Missing Authorization5.4< 1.91.9Patched before disclosure

Sources: Wordfence Intelligence, CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, readme changelogs.

Support

100% of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months.

Momentum

10,000+ active installs. History builds with each weekly snapshot.

Weekly downloads, last 27 weeks
Weekly downloads for Essential Widgets
4 May 2026220
11 May 2026415
18 May 2026403
25 May 20267,443
1 Jun 2026832
8 Jun 2026593
15 Jun 20269,817
22 Jun 20261,015
29 Jun 2026836
6 Jul 2026867
13 Jul 2026687
20 Jul 2026685
27 Jul 2026579
3 Aug 2026565
10 Aug 2026498
17 Aug 2026483
24 Aug 2026730
31 Aug 2026536
7 Sep 2026449
14 Sep 2026470
21 Sep 2026459
28 Sep 2026467
5 Oct 2026435
12 Oct 2026408
19 Oct 2026702
26 Oct 2026502
2 Nov 202681

Weekly downloads over the last 4 weeks are 63% below the 27-week average.

Healthier alternatives

Same job, rated Healthy, higher Canary Score and at least 10,000 installs. Never sponsored.

No healthier plugin in the same category yet.

Facts

Version3.2.1
AuthorCatch Themes
Added22 Nov 2017
Last updated18 Jun 2026
Active installs10,000+
Requires WordPress5.9
Tested up to7.0.8
Requires PHP7.4
CategoryDesign & Themes
Tagstags, pages, posts, widgets, categories

Other plugins by this author: To Top, Catch IDs, Essential Content Types, Catch Infinite Scroll, Catch Web Tools, Catch Gallery, Generate Child Theme, Catch Sticky Menu, Catch Breadcrumb, Catch Duplicate Switcher, Catch Import Export, Catch Dark Mode

Questions

Is Essential Widgets still maintained?

Yes. Last release 18 Jun 2026, 8 releases in the last 24 months.

Who owns Essential Widgets, and has it changed hands?

No change recorded. Main committer catchthemes since Nov 2017.

Was Essential Widgets removed from wordpress.org?

No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 3 Nov 2026.

Is Essential Widgets safe?

3 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 3.0.1). Not on the exploited list.

Is the latest Essential Widgets update safe to install?

No ownership change before 3.2.1. No one-star spike after it.

Data: wordpress.org Plugins API, plugins SVN and Trac, wordpress.org reviews and support forum, Wordfence Intelligence, CISA KEV, NVD.Plugin data refreshed 3 Nov 2026.Report a data issue