What’s a widget vs plugin?

As we work with clients on their sites, sometimes these terms are used interchangeably.

The quick answer is they really are similar to one another, the main differences between the two are visibility and interaction. If it keeps your page running and functioning properly in the background, it’s a plugin. If a user can see it and interact with it on the page, it’s a widget.

 

What is a WIDGET?

A Widget is something through which a user can interact with an application. A widget is an element of a graphical user interface that deals with the information for a user, widgets help us to add some additional features and functionality like pull-down menus, buttons, selection boxes, icons, scroll bars, etc.

Some examples are: Google Map Widget, Simple Social Icon.

 

What is a PLUGIN?

Plugins are nothing but small software that is used to improve a website’s performance, they are generally used to add some additional features or functionality to the website. For instance, there are plugins available to watch videos on websites, if the plugin is not installed then maybe our browser doesn’t understand how to play that video.

Some examples are: Gravity Forms, EventOn, Yoast SEO, Akismet.

 

Now you know.  But don’t worry – you can call them whatever you want – we get it!

 

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