Difference between Plugin and Widget in WordPress

In the ever-evolving world of web technology, optimizing your website’s efficiency is crucial for engaging user experiences. Two indispensable tools in the WordPress toolkit are plugins and widgets, each serving distinct roles in enhancing functionality and appearance.

With over 58,000 plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory as of 2022, they empower users to add extra features seamlessly. Imagine your website without a video plugin – the browser might struggle to play videos. 

On the other hand, widgets are the aesthetic touchpoints that grace your site, adding features like pull-down menus, buttons, and icons. Now, let’s delve into the specifics of these essential WordPress tools, exploring their installation processes and, most importantly, understanding the key differences between Plugins and Widget in WordPress.

What is Plugin?

Plugins are nothing but small software that is used to improve a website’s performance, they are generally used to add some additional features or functionality to the website. For instance, there are plugins available to watch videos on websites, if the plugin is not installed then maybe our browser doesn’t understand how to play that video.

List of Useful Plugins

Here is a list of 6 top and most useful plugins that can increase your website’s performance at an exponential rate.  

• Gravity Forms: Gravity Forms is a simple plugin that helps to handle all forms on the website, through this we can also customize the form fields and can create conditional logic within the form. Gravity Forms are also tied up with third parties like PayPal and MailChimp etc.
• EventOn:  As the name suggests, the EventOn plugin generally organises the events based on colour and category, With the help of EventOn, we can add a calendar to the sidebars on the website.
• Advanced Custom Fields: This plugin allows us to add and edit custom fields on the back end of our website, as well as customise our admin edit screen.
• Yoast SEO: If you have a blog or site on WordPress then this plugin is for you, Through this plugin, we can set the SEO Title and Meta Description on-page and the alt attributes of your images, and posts, as well as set more advanced options like sitemap settings.
• Elementor: This plugin enables us to design custom web page designs, there are a lot of free templates in the Elementor library that you can use for creating a page.
• Akismet: Akismet plugin automatically blocks spam comments, this plugin is very useful for blog and business owners who receive at least tens of comments daily.

Plugin Installation:

In WordPress, you can directly go to the plugins section select the desired plugin then install it. Please refer to How to Install any Plugin on WordPress Website? article to see a detailed step-by-step procedure.

What is a Widget?

A Widget is something through which a user can interact with an application. A widget is an element of a graphical user interface that deals with the information for a user, widgets help us to add some additional features and functionality like pull-down menus, buttons, selection boxes, icons, scroll bars, etc.

List of Some Useful Widgets

Here is the list of 4 top and useful widgets, let’s explore them and their features:

• Google Map Widget: Google Map Widget helps to get a map on the website, for instance, when a user clicks on the map widget, a larger map opens in a popup, and it is very simple and easy to use the widget.
• Astra Widget: Astra Widget is nothing but a pack of widgets, It allows us to easily add business locations, social profile links, and an icon list on the sidebar.
• Simple Social Icon: This widget enables us to add social icons to our sidebars, we can choose which of our social networks to link to and then add our profile URLs.
• Social Media count widget: As the name of the widget states that it keeps the count of subscribers we have on our social media, This means it will show how many subscribers we have on YouTube, how many followers we have on Instagram, Twitter Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. 

Widget Installation: In WordPress, go to the Appearance section and then to the widget section.  After clicking on the widget, you can see all the ‘widgets‘ on the left side and the area where you need to add a ‘widget’ on the right side. So, you can drag your widget from the left side and drop it to the area on the right side to add that widget to that area. Please refer to What is Widgets in WordPress? article to see a detailed step-by-step procedure.

Difference between Plugin and Widget

Plugin	Widget
Plugins can be used to add functions or features to your site.	Widgets can be used to add content blocks to the front, usually in the sidebar or footer of your site
The plugin keeps the page running and functioning properly in the background	A widget is something with which a user can interact and see it on the page.
Plugins are geared towards functionality.	Widgets are geared towards appearance.
eg. add a small feature to the admin area add social media sharing icons to your blog articles or automatically capitalize your title and heading tags.	eg. A widget can be a button, scroll bar, label, dialogue box, or check box or it can be something slightly more sophisticated like a search box, tiny map, clock, or visitor counter.
Example: Gravity Forms, EventOn, Yoast SEO, etc.	Examples: Google Map Widget, Astra Widget.

Conclusion

The difference between Plugin and Widget in WordPress play integral roles in enhancing the functionality and appearance of a WordPress website. While plugins serve to add features and improve performance in the background, widgets are the aesthetic touchpoints that users interact with on the front end.

The vast array of available plugins and widgets allows users to tailor their websites to meet specific needs, whether it’s improving SEO, adding custom forms, organizing events, or enhancing social media integration. Understanding the distinctions between plugins and widgets empowers users to make informed choices in optimizing their WordPress sites for a seamless and engaging user experience.

Also Explore:

• WordPress Plugin Setting
• How to Install any Plugin on WordPress Website ?
• How to create WordPress plugin from scratch ?
• Step by step guide to make your first WordPress Plugin

Difference between Plugin and Widget in WordPress – FAQs

What is the primary purpose of a WordPress plugin?

The main purpose of a WordPress plugin is to add additional features or functionality to a website, enhancing its performance and capabilities.

How do I install a plugin on my WordPress website?

In WordPress, you can install a plugin by navigating to the plugins section, selecting the desired plugin, and then installing it. For a detailed step-by-step procedure, refer to the “How to Install any Plugin on WordPress Website?” article.

What distinguishes a widget from a plugin in WordPress?

While plugins focus on adding functions and features in the background, widgets are elements on the front end that users interact with directly, contributing to the appearance and layout of the website.

Can you provide examples of popular difference between Plugin and Widget in WordPress?

Examples of popular plugins include Gravity Forms, EventOn, Yoast SEO, and Akismet. On the other hand, widgets like Google Map Widget, Astra Widget, Simple Social Icon, and Social Media Count Widget contribute to the aesthetic appeal of a website.

How do I add a widget to my WordPress site?

To add a widget in WordPress, go to the Appearance section, then the widget section. Drag the desired widget from the left side and drop it into the designated area on the right side. For a detailed guide, refer to the “What is Widgets in WordPress?” article.