Admin Columns vs Dashboard quick links widget
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Admin Columns v7.1.7 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Dashboard quick links widget v1.6.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 5.0/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 100,000+ | 600+ |
| Last updated | October 7, 2026 | January 23, 2026 |
| Editions | Admin Columns · Admin Columns Pro ($) | Dashboard quick link widget |
| Pros | Add, remove and reorder admin list columns without code; Works for posts, pages, users, comments and media; Shows ACF and taxonomy values as columns in the free version | Simple link list configured in one settings page; Links can open in a new tab; Choice of Font Awesome icon versions |
| Cons | Advanced ACF field columns require Admin Columns Pro; Add-on pages and banners push the paid version; Only changes admin list screens, nothing on the front end | Icons load from the cdnjs CDN; Only a list of links, with no per-user or per-role control |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Add, remove and reorder columns on admin list tables, Settings page for column behaviour, Advanced ACF field types (Pro only) ($), Add-ons page that lists Pro upgrades | Configurable list of dashboard links, Open individual links in a new tab, Coloured notice above the links, Font Awesome icon version selector, Dashboard widget registration |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Plugins | Advanced Custom Fields, WPML | — |
| Other | — | Font Awesome CDN (cdnjs) |
| Requires WordPress | 6.2 | 3.0 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.3 |
| Tested up to | 7.1.3 | 6.9 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | cdnjs.cloudflare.com |