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Best Free WordPress Plugins for Blog

15 plugins compared · Updated August 2026 · Blog

All 15 Free only Premium only

Choosing a WordPress plugin for blog comes down to a few things: whether it is still actively maintained, whether real users rate it well, and whether it does the specific job you need without dragging the rest of the site down.

We ranked 15 plugins using our WPScore, which weighs the user rating (adjusted for how many people actually rated it), how many sites run it, how recently it was updated, and which WordPress version it is tested against. 15 of them have enough public data to be scored; the rest are listed below the ranked block, clearly marked, rather than being given a number we cannot justify.

How this list is funded. Some links here earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not move anything up the list — the order comes from the WPScore, which is calculated from public ratings, install counts and update history. See the method.

At a glance

  1. 1. SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle Best overall 91/100
  2. 2. Post Grid Gutenberg Blocks 87/100
  3. 3. Download Plugin 86/100
  4. 4. Blog Designer Pack 86/100
  5. 5. Smart Post 86/100
  6. 6. EleSpare 85/100
  7. 7. BlockSpare 85/100
  8. 8. Blog Filter 85/100
  9. 9. Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling W... 84/100
  10. 10. Simple Blog Stats 84/100
  11. 11. Search in Place 84/100
  12. 12. Read Meter 83/100
  13. 13. Blog Floating Button 83/100
  14. 14. Print My Blog 83/100
  15. 15. Magazine Blocks 83/100
1 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle
Best overall Free by Greg - SiteOrigin

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle

Essential elements for modern websites. Add buttons, sliders, heroes, maps, images, carousels, features, icons, more. Create dynamic pages easily.

4.9★
from 134 ratings
400k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
91

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
3 Download Plugin
Free by Metagauss

Download Plugin

Download any plugin from your WordPress admin panel's Plugins page by just one click! Now, download themes, users, blog posts, pages, custom post …

4.5★
from 25 ratings
60k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
4 Blog Designer Pack
Free by InfornWeb

Blog Designer Pack

News & Blog plugin for post grid, post slider, post carousel, post filter, masonry, ticker & list category posts using shortcode, Elementor & Divi.

4.7★
from 79 ratings
30k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
5 Smart Post
Free by ShapedPlugin LLC

Smart Post

Display posts in Grid, Carousel, Slider, Timeline, List & Live Filter layouts with Gutenberg Blocks & Ready Patterns - Elementor, Divi, & Shortcodes.

4.7★
from 209 ratings
20k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
86

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
6 EleSpare
Free by Elespare

EleSpare

EleSpare provides pre-designed templates, header/footer builders, and various post layouts for creating stunning news, magazine, and blog sites with E …

4.9★
from 44 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
85

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
7 BlockSpare
Free by Blockspare

BlockSpare

Build professional news, magazine, blog, editorial and business websites with powerful Gutenberg blocks, starter templates, advanced post layouts, sli …

4.8★
from 33 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
85

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
8 Blog Filter
Free by A WP Life

Blog Filter

Create a responsive Blog Filter Post Grid to showcase posts. Let visitors filter by Category or Tag easily using Ajax. Supports Elementor and Divi.

4.9★
from 79 ratings
7k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
85

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
10 Simple Blog Stats
Free by Jeff Starr

Simple Blog Stats

Displays a wealth of useful statistics about your site. Display total number of posts, pages, categories, tags, and much more.

4.9★
from 38 ratings
4k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
11 Search in Place
Free by codepeople

Search in Place

Search in Place improves blog search by displaying query results in real time. It displays the results dynamically as you enter the search criteria.

4.9★
from 64 ratings
3k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
84

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
12 Read Meter
Free by Brainstorm Force

Read Meter

The Read Meter plugin displays the estimated reading time for blog posts along with a progress bar.

4.5★
from 19 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
13 Blog Floating Button
Free by 1meril

Blog Floating Button

Blog Floating Button (BFB) adds customizable floating buttons to your WordPress site and directs visitors to key landing pages.

5★
from 1 ratings
9k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
14 Print My Blog
Free by Michael Nelson

Print My Blog

Make printing your blog easy and impressive. For you & your visitors. One post or thousands.

4.8★
from 114 ratings
8k+
active installs
Updated
May 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
15 Magazine Blocks
Free by BlockArt

Magazine Blocks

A collection of dynamic post blocks to quickly build stunning news, magazine, and blog websites.

4.9★
from 9 ratings
6k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org