Google Maps Widget vs WP Google Map Plugin
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| Feature | Google Maps Widget v4.27 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.6/5 Visit Details | WP Google Map Plugin v5.0.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.3/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 20,000+ | 60,000+ |
| Last updated | August 16, 2026 | October 9, 2026 |
| Editions | Maps Widget for Google Maps · Maps Widget for Google Maps PRO ($) | WP Maps · WP Maps Pro ($) |
| Pros | Lightweight map thumbnail that opens in a lightbox; Geocoding results are cached; Simple widget setup with an API key test | Free version with markers, categories, filters and clustering; Google Maps, OpenStreetMap and Mapbox base maps; Shortcode, block, widget and Elementor options; Directions link on each listing record |
| Cons | Needs a Google Maps API key; Classic widget; the admin shows a notice when classic widgets are unavailable; Extra features are in the paid PRO edition | Analytics integrations and the Directions API need Pro; Pro upgrade prompts appear in the admin; Deactivation survey sends the reason, plus site URL and email unless anonymous |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Google Map sidebar widget, Map thumbnail that opens in a lightbox, Geocoding with cached coordinates, Test the Google Maps API key from settings, PRO licence activation through the vendor license servers ($) | Map shortcode, Block editor map block, Elementor map widget, Map widget, OpenStreetMap and Mapbox base tiles, Marker clustering setting, REST route for map markup, Pro-only feature messaging |
| Integrations | ||
| Marketing | — | Meta Pixel ($) |
| Analytics | — | Google Analytics 4 ($), Microsoft Clarity ($) |
| Plugins | — | Elementor, Divi |
| Other | Google Maps Static and Embed APIs, Google Maps Geocoding API, Maps Widget licence servers ($) | Google Maps JavaScript API, OpenStreetMap tiles, Mapbox, Zapier ($) |
| Requires WordPress | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| Requires PHP | 7.2 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1.3 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | Only if you agree |
| External services | maps.googleapis.com, www.google.com, license.gmapswidget.com, license2.gmapswidget.com | weplugins.com, maps.google.com, tile.openstreetmap.org, www.googleapis.com |
| Blocks | — | 1 |
| Shortcodes | — | 1 |
| Custom tables | — | 3 |