Quick answer: For most WordPress sites, a lightweight sharing plugin that loads few external scripts is the best choice. Jetpack Sharing is simple if you already use Jetpack, Simple Share Buttons Adder and MashShare are light free options, and Social Warfare, Monarch and Easy Social Share Buttons offer more design control and share counts. Hosted tools such as AddThis, ShareThis and Shareaholic are quick to set up but add third party scripts and tracking. Whatever you pick, limit buttons to the networks your audience uses and check page speed afterwards.
Share buttons look like a small detail, but they affect page speed, design, privacy and, if done well, how far your content travels. There are dozens of plugins available, and they vary a lot in quality. We have used most of the popular ones on client sites. Here is how they compare.
What to look for in a sharing plugin
Before comparing names, decide what matters to you.
Speed
Many sharing plugins load JavaScript and styles from each social network, or from their own servers, on every page. That can add noticeable weight and extra requests. Plugins that use simple links and their own small CSS file are much lighter.
Networks
Most sites only need a few: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and email cover most audiences. B2B sites may favour LinkedIn. Food, fashion and home sites often get most value from Pinterest. Remember that Instagram has no way to share a web page from a button.
Placement
Common positions are above or below content, a floating bar at the side on desktop and a sticky bar at the bottom on mobile. Some plugins also add share buttons over images for Pinterest.
Share counts
Share counts can provide social proof once a post has been shared a lot, but low counts can do the opposite. Twitter removed its official share count in November 2015, so plugins now either drop the Twitter count or rely on third party counting services. Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+ counts are still available.
Open Graph and Twitter Cards
What appears when someone shares your page depends on meta tags, not the button itself. Make sure Open Graph and Twitter Card tags are set, either by your sharing plugin or by an SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO, so shared links show the right title, description and image.
Privacy
Hosted sharing services often collect visitor data for advertising. If that concerns you or your visitors, choose a plugin that uses simple links rather than embedded scripts from third parties.
The plugins compared
Jetpack Sharing
Part of Automattic’s Jetpack plugin. Turn on the Sharing module and choose buttons for the main networks, in icon, text or official button styles.
- Good: Free, reliable, easy if you already run Jetpack.
- Watch: Jetpack is a large plugin. Installing it only for sharing adds a lot you may not need. Styling options are limited.
AddThis
A hosted service with a WordPress plugin. Offers share buttons, follow buttons, recommended content and analytics through the AddThis dashboard.
- Good: Many networks and tools, quick setup, built in reporting.
- Watch: Loads external scripts, which affects speed. AddThis uses visitor data for advertising purposes, so check its privacy terms.
ShareThis
Similar to AddThis: hosted share buttons with many networks and an analytics dashboard.
- Good: Easy, broad network support.
- Watch: External scripts and data collection. Less control over design.
Shareaholic
Combines share buttons with related content, analytics and monetisation options.
- Good: Many features in one plugin.
- Watch: Heavier than most alternatives, and some features are tied to advertising and recommendations you may not want on a business site.
Monarch
From Elegant Themes, included in their membership. Offers many placements, including floating sidebar, inline, pop up and fly in, plus follow buttons.
- Good: Attractive designs and flexible placement. Good value if you already have an Elegant Themes membership.
- Watch: Pop up and fly in share prompts can annoy visitors. Use them with care.
Social Warfare
Built with speed and design in mind, with clean buttons, a floating bar, share counts and options to set custom share text and Pinterest images per post.
- Good: Fast, attractive, strong control over how each post appears when shared.
- Watch: Mainly focused on the major networks rather than long lists of niche ones.
MashShare
Inspired by the large share buttons seen on viral news sites. The free core is light, and paid add-ons extend networks and features.
- Good: Lightweight, focused on big, clear buttons and total share counts.
- Watch: Many extra features require paid add-ons.
Simple Share Buttons Adder
A free, straightforward plugin with a choice of button sets, placement options and optional counts.
- Good: Simple and light, suitable for most small business blogs.
- Watch: Fewer advanced features than the premium options.
Easy Social Share Buttons
A premium plugin sold through CodeCanyon with an enormous number of designs, positions, networks and extras.
- Good: Huge flexibility for those who want it.
- Watch: The sheer number of options can be overwhelming, and turning everything on will slow your site.
Which one should you choose?
- Small business site or blog, focus on speed: Simple Share Buttons Adder or MashShare.
- Already using Jetpack: Jetpack Sharing.
- Content heavy site that wants control over shared text and images: Social Warfare.
- Elegant Themes member: Monarch.
- Want analytics and do not mind third party scripts: AddThis or ShareThis.
Keep it fast
Every plugin you add has a cost. After installing a sharing plugin, test a few pages with a tool such as GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights and compare with your results before. Look for:
- New external requests to social networks or sharing services
- Extra CSS and JavaScript files loaded on every page
- Icon fonts loaded just for a handful of icons
If you see big increases, try a lighter plugin, turn off counts, or load buttons only on posts rather than every page. Our article on icon fonts and performance explains why large icon fonts can be wasteful, and our guide to WordPress speed optimization covers the wider picture.
Placement tips
- Show buttons where people finish reading, at the end of posts, as well as near the top.
- Use a sticky bar on mobile rather than a floating sidebar that covers content.
- Do not put share buttons on every page. Contact and service pages rarely get shared. Blog posts and resources are where they belong.
- Keep the choice small. Three to five networks are easier to scan than a row of fifteen icons.
Measuring sharing
In Google Analytics, the Social reports show traffic from social networks. To track button clicks, many plugins can send events to Analytics, or you can set up click tracking in Google Tag Manager. Compare shares and social traffic across posts to learn which topics your audience passes on.
FAQ
Do share buttons help SEO?
Not directly. Shares can lead to more visitors and sometimes links, which can help indirectly.
Why did my Twitter share count disappear?
Twitter removed its official count in late 2015. Some plugins use third party services to estimate it.
Should I show share counts?
Only if your posts are regularly shared. Low counts can discourage sharing. Many plugins let you hide counts below a minimum.
Can I add sharing without a plugin?
Yes. Simple share links for each network can be added to your theme templates with a little code and no external scripts.
Make sharing easy, not heavy
Share buttons should help your best content travel without slowing pages or cluttering the design. Choose a light plugin, pick your networks carefully and check speed. If you want a WordPress site that loads fast and converts well, see how we help businesses turn visitors into customers.
