Simple Social Icons

83 Quality Score

Active Installs

23/30

With 100,000 active installs, it sits comfortably in the mid-range for social icon plugins, well behind AddToAny but matching the smaller competitors in install count.

Update Freshness

25/25

It was last updated on May 27, 2026, and is tested against WordPress 7.0 with PHP 7.4 support, indicating active upkeep by the developer.

User Rating

13/15

A score of 86 out of 100 from 92 ratings signals above-average user satisfaction, though the smaller sample size makes it less statistically reliable than larger rivals.

Support Health

8/15

Two open support threads with zero resolved is a concern; users may struggle to get help if they hit an edge case.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Full marks here, with confirmed testing against WordPress 7.0 and broad PHP version support, making it safe for modern sites.

Scores higher than 90% of indexed plugins

About

Display icons linking to your social profiles, via the classic widget or the core Social Icons block variations.

Active Installs 100k+

Rating ★★★★ 4.3/5

Last Updated 2026-09-17 10:18am GMT

Requires WordPress 4.0+

Tested Up To 7.1.1

Requires PHP 7.4+

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

Simple Social Icons adds a customizable widget or block that displays a row of social media icons linking to your profiles on platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. It covers roughly 40 networks out of the box, with options to choose which icons appear, set icon size, colour, background, border, alignment, and spacing. There is no sharing functionality; it is strictly a follow-link tool for your own social profiles.

Who It's For

It is best for bloggers, freelancers, small businesses, and nonprofit sites that want a lightweight, no-frills way to link visitors to their social profiles without paying for a premium plugin. The widget and block variations make it a good fit for classic theme users and block theme users alike, particularly on sites that do not need share buttons, follower counts, or analytics.

Who Should Skip It

If you need share buttons, click-to-tweet, or social proof counters, skip this and choose a full sharing suite instead. It is also a poor match for large publishers or agencies that want advanced features like conditional display, A/B testing, or feed integration.

The Bottom Line

Simple Social Icons is a focused, well-maintained plugin that does one job, displaying social profile icons, and does it cleanly across both widget and block interfaces. The unresolved support threads and limited feature scope are real weaknesses, but for users who only need profile links without sharing or analytics, it remains a solid free choice. Score it against AddToAny or Ultimate Social Media Icons if you need anything beyond simple icons.

Related Plugins

AddToAny Share Buttons 86/100

Pick this if you need share buttons and universal sharing across many platforms, not just profile follow icons.

Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 84/100

Choose this when you want both share buttons and profile icons with more styling presets built in.

Astra Widgets 83/100

Go with this if you are running an Astra theme and want social icons bundled with other theme-specific widgets.

Buttonizer: Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 83/100

Select this when you need floating share buttons, chat widgets, or social feed embeds beyond simple profile links.

Open Graph and Twitter Card Tags 82/100

Use this instead if your priority is controlling how links appear when shared on social platforms rather than displaying icons on your site.