by What Is the SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle?
The SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle is a free, highly versatile WordPress plugin designed to enhance site-building with a robust set of reusable widgets. It brings modern, responsive layout components to your site, including buttons, sliders, hero sections, maps, carousels, images, icons, and more WordPress.orgSiteOriginWordPress.com. Compatible across Page Builder by SiteOrigin, the WordPress Block Editor, Elementor, Beaver Builder, and traditional theme widget areas, it’s a toolkit for creating engaging page designs without coding
Key Features
1. Wide-Ranging Widget Library
Includes a growing collection of dynamic and customizable widgets such as:
- Accordion
- Anything Carousel
- Author Box
- Blog Showcase
- Button / Button Grid
- Contact Form
- Call to Action
- Editor
- Features
- Google Maps
- Headline
- Hero Image
- Icon, Image, Image Grid, Image Slider
- Layout Slider
- Lottie Player
- Post Carousel
- Plus more, all designed to meet diverse content needs WordPress.orgWordPress.com.
2. Universal Compatibility
Works seamlessly in:
- SiteOrigin Page Builder (both Classic and Block Editor via Layout Block)
- WordPress Block Editor, via a native widget block with live search
- Theme/plugin widget areas (sidebars, footers, etc.)
- Other builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder SiteOriginWordPress.orgWordPress.com.
3. Performance Optimized
Built with performance in mind—lean code and compatibility with optimization plugins like Autoptimize—ensuring fast load times WordPress.org10Web.
4. SEO & Accessibility
Adheres to modern SEO standards and works with major SEO plugins. Accessibility features (e.g., full tab navigation support) enhance usability WordPress.org10Web.
5. Plugin Longevity and Support
Actively maintained since 2011, with multiple monthly updates. Rich documentation and a friendly support forum back it up WordPress.orgWordPress.comSiteOrigin+1.
6. Developer-Friendly Framework
Built on a unified framework for consistency, the plugin lets developers create custom widgets quickly using features like powerful form building, templating, and data handling SiteOrigin+3SiteOrigin+3SiteOrigin+3.
Developer Tools & Extensibility
SiteOrigin provides extensive developer documentation and tooling for extending or adding widgets:
- Widget Creation: Developers can create custom widgets easily using a simple PHP class extending
SiteOrigin_Widgetand registering it withsiteorigin_widget_registerSiteOrigin. - Templates & Styling: Custom template names and directories can be specified; styles are managed via LESS for consistency SiteOrigin.
- Custom Widget Libraries: Use the
siteorigin_widgets_widget_foldersfilter to register external widget folders SiteOrigin. - Advanced APIs: Detailed support for repeated fields, presets, sanitization, templating, hooks, filters, and instance storage SiteOrigin.
Real-World Insights & Issues
While powerful, the plugin isn’t without occasional user-reported issues:
- Icons not showing in Block Editor post-update
- Horizontal scroll bars due to column misalignment
- Image Grid widget bugs, including links not saving
- Hero or Video slider misbehavior after updates SiteOrigin+3SiteOrigin+3SiteOrigin+3.
SiteOrigin’s support team often advises isolating conflicts by using a default theme and disabling other plugins to identify the root cause SiteOrigin+1.
Security & Updates
Security is a top priority, with multiple vulnerabilities patched over time:
- Stored XSS via Image Grid, Blog Widget, shortcodes, data attributes
- Authorization bypasses
- Local file inclusion issues WPScanWordfence.
So always keep the plugin updated—the most recent WordPress.com plugin version is 1.69.2, updated July 19, 2025; active installs number around 500,000+ WordPress.com. WPScan reports a stored XSS fix in version 1.69.0, published June 24, 2025 WPScan.
Premium Addon: SiteOrigin Premium
While the Widgets Bundle is fully free and includes lifetime updates, SiteOrigin Premium offers upgraded functionality for professional users:
- Access to additional widgets and powerful builder features
- Priority email support
- Continuous updates and enhancements across the plugin suite
- All offered via affordable tiered pricing 10WebSiteOrigin.
Typical pricing: ~$29/year for single site, $99/year for developer access with unlimited sites and full feature set 10Web.
Summary Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Rich widget library for building responsive pages |
| Compatibility | Works with multiple builders, editors, and widget areas |
| Performance | Lightweight and optimized |
| SEO & Accessibility | SEO-friendly and accessible by design |
| Updates & Support | Actively maintained with docs and forums |
| Developer Tools | Powerful framework for custom widget creation |
| Known Issues | Some minor compatibility bugs; troubleshooting advised |
| Security | Vulnerabilities resolved; ensure updates installed |
| Premium | Adds advanced widgets, support, and features |
Final Thoughts
The SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle shines as a comprehensive, developer-friendly, and design-rich plugin that simplifies building dynamic WordPress sites—especially with its extensibility and compatibility across editor ecosystems. Whether you’re a beginner looking for affordable tools or an advanced developer customizing functionality, it’s an excellent asset in your toolkit. Just stay on top of updates and leverage community support when needed!
