elfsight alternative
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Elfsight Alternative: Basic Comparison with WP Social Ninja

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By Editorial Staff
Jun 13, 2022

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Wondering if there’s an Elfsight alternative out there?

If you want to engage your website visitors, adding a social media plugin is a great solution. To do that, you need the right WordPress social proof plugin. Tools like WP Social Ninja or the Elfsight widget help you display reviews, feeds, and other trust signals directly on your website.

Regarding social media plugins, these two are among the most popular options in the WordPress social media plugin category. That’s why we will compare them to assist you in finding the best plugin for your website.

TL;DR

  • Many website owners start searching for an Elfsight alternative when they want more flexibility, better pricing, or simpler management of multiple widgets.
  • Elfsight offers many widgets, but most features are separated into individual apps. Managing several widgets often means handling multiple configurations and pricing plans.
  • WP Social Ninja combines social feeds, customer reviews, chat widgets, testimonials, and notification popups as a complete WordPress social proof plugin.
  • The plugin supports 30+ platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more. Everything can be managed from a single dashboard.
  • Features like AI review summaries, advanced filtering, auto caching, and image optimization help improve performance while keeping your social proof updated automatically.
  • For WordPress users who want one plugin to manage reviews, feeds, and messaging widgets together, WP Social Ninja has become a practical Elfsight free alternative worth considering.

Why people look for an Elfsight alternative

Many website owners start with Elfsight widgets because they are easy to add and support many platforms. But as their websites grow, some limitations start to appear. 

Here are some common issues that pushes users to look for an Elfsight alternative:

  • Each feature is a separate widget. If you want reviews, feeds, and chat widgets, you need to set them up individually. Managing several widgets can quickly become messy.
  • Costs increase as you add more widgets. Each widget usually comes with its own pricing plan. If your site needs multiple tools, the total cost can grow quickly.
  • There is no single dashboard to manage everything. Every widget has its own settings and configuration. This makes updates and moderation harder to manage.
  • Customization can feel limited for WordPress users. Templates are available, but deeper control inside the WordPress dashboard is sometimes restricted.
  • Multiple widgets can affect page performance. Each widget loads its own scripts. On larger websites, this can add extra requests and slow down pages.
  • Many WordPress users prefer native plugins. Tools that work directly inside WordPress are often easier to manage than external embed based widgets.

This is why many WordPress users start looking for a more practical Elfsight apps alternative. And WP Social Ninja has quickly become a popular option for this.

What is WP Social Ninja?

WP Social Ninja is a complete WordPress social proof plugin. It combines business reviews, social media feeds, chat widgets, notification popups, testimonials, and shoppable Instagram feed management inside a single plugin with one subscription.

WP Social Ninja WordPress social media and review plugin homepage showing feeds, reviews, and chat widgets

It connects with 30+ platforms, and the entire feature set is included in every plan. There are no add-ons to buy and no feature locks based on usage like Elfsight.

Overview: WP Social Ninja vs. Elfsight

Here’s a quick overview of WP Social Ninja vs Elfsight so you can quickly scan the key differences between the two social proof plugins.

FeatureWP Social NinjaElfsight
Built forWordPress onlyAny website platform
Pricing modelAnnual flat fee per siteMonthly per widget or package
DashboardSingle centralized dashboardWidgets managed separately
Content limitsNo limitsYes, based on plan
Customer reviews platforms10+11+
Social media feeds platforms4+ (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X)6+ (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more)
Chat widgets15+ platforms8 platforms
AI review summarizerYesYes
QR code for reviewsYesYes
Verified reviewer badgeYesYes
Post-cachingAvailableNot available
Local image storageYesNo
GDPR complianceYesYes
Review schema snippetYesYes
Shoppable Instagram feedYesYes (Only for Shopify)
Events and Album Feeds for FacebookYesNo
Review moderation automationYesNo
Notification popupYesYes

In this WP Social Ninja vs. Elfsight comparison, the difference is clear. WP Social Ninja delivers every social proof feature from one dashboard and one subscription. Elfsight splits them across separate widgets with separate plans.

Win your customers’ hearts with exceptional features

Discover how WP Social Ninja can assist you in designing outstanding customer experiences.

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Features comparison: WP Social Ninja vs. Elfsight

The table above shows the basic differences between the two plugins. Now let’s look deeper. In the following sections, we will compare how WP Social Ninja vs Elfsight performs in specific areas like business reviews, social feeds, chat widgets, and customization.

Customer reviews integration

WP Social Ninja and Elfsight are both great tools to add customer reviews on WordPress business websites. But the way they handle review sources, customization, and management is different.

Here’s a quick overview of reviews integration features of WP Social Ninja and Elfsight:

FeatureWP Social NinjaElfsight
Supported Review Platforms10+11+
Pre-built templates96
Review moderation and filtersAdvancedBasic
Rating style31
Notification popupAvailableAvailable via individual widget
Local image storageYesNo
Reviewer name format41
Language-specific reviews fetchAvailable for Booking.com and TripadvisorNot available
Schema snippetAdvancedBasic
Custom write a review URLAvailableNot available

Advanced filters and reviews moderation

Showing every review you have is rarely the right move. The reviews you show, and how you order them, directly affects how much visitors trust you.

WP Social Ninja gives you three ordering options: Oldest, Newest, and Random. You can filter by rating, category, and business name. You can also include or exclude specific reviews individually based on keywords.

WP Social Ninja review plugin dashboard showing advanced review filters, rating conditions, and moderation controls

Besides filtering existing reviews, WP Social Ninja also lets you set up review moderation automation for incoming reviews during auto-sync. You can configure auto-publish filters to publish only reviews that:

  • Meet a minimum star rating
  • Block reviews containing specific words or spam phrases
  • Set a minimum review length
WP Social Ninja review plugin settings with auto publishing, minimum rating rules, spam filters, and moderation options

Elfsight keeps it simpler. You can sort by rating or by date, and hide reviews without text. It covers the basics and does not offer this level of automation. New reviews either appear or require manual management

Elfsight review widget filter settings panel showing rating-based rules and review display conditions

Collect custom reviews

Not every customer will leave a review on Google or Facebook. Sometimes you need to collect feedback directly, on your own terms.

Both WP Social Ninja and Elfsight offer custom review collections, but the depth is different.

Elfsight’s All-in-One Reviews widget includes a basic form covering star rating, reviewer name, image, and review text. It works for simple use cases.

Elfsight review widget showing a custom review form with rating, text input, and options to submit reviews from multiple platforms

WP Social Ninja integrates with Fluent Forms, letting you build advanced review collection forms with custom fields. 

WP Social Ninja custom review form with detailed fields for collecting user feedback as an Elfsight alternative

You can also connect a Fluent Forms ID to the Write a Review button in your review header. Visitors open the form without leaving the page. For businesses that want richer customer data alongside the review itself, this is a meaningful advantage.

WP Social Ninja review header displaying overall rating, feedback count, and write a review button in a review plugin for WordPress

Besides, WP Social Ninja also lets you create QR code for collecting reviews offline. If your business delivers physical products to customers you can add the code or you can simply hang it to your shop to collect more reviews. That’s a huge win for new and local businesses.

Notification popup

Your reviews don’t have to sit in one section at the bottom of your page. They can work across your entire site, quietly building trust while visitors browse.

WP Social Ninja’s notification popup displays a small floating review notification in the corner of the screen. You control the timing, placement, which reviews appear, and how they look. It runs passively in the background without interrupting the browsing experience.

WP Social Ninja review notification popup showing recent customer feedback as social proof on a website

Comprehensive header settings

The header of your review section gives visitors a quick snapshot of your reputation. It shows the rating, the number of reviews, and helps people decide if they want to read more.

With WP Social Ninja, you can control how this header looks. You can show or hide it anytime. You can change the title, show the review count, display the average rating, and add a Write a Review button.

WP Social Ninja review plugin header customization with controls for title, rating display, and call to action button

This makes it easier for visitors to leave a review.

Elfsight also lets you show or hide the title, rating, and review count. It works well, but the customization options are more limited.

If you want more control over how your review section looks on your site, WP Social Ninja gives you more flexibility.

Social media feeds

Both WP Social Ninja and Elfsight let you embed social media feeds on your website. The difference is in how much control you get, and how many platforms you can pull from without needing extra tools.

Here’s a quick overview of social feeds integration features of WP Social Ninja and Elfsight:

FeatureWP Social NinjaElfsight
Supported platforms5 (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X)6+ (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and more)
Layout options42
Post order options52
Filter by keyword or hashtagYesYes
Filter by usernameYesYes
Post cachingYesNo
Local image storageYesNo
Shoppable Instagram feedYesNot for WordPress users
Facebook Events and Album feedYesNo
Popup on post clickYesYes
YouTube-specific video controlsYesLimited
Custom bio and image in headerYesNo
API-based connectionYesNo

Platform coverage

WP Social Ninja supports social feeds from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter/X. You manage all five from one plugin, one dashboard, and one subscription. No separate installs, no extra cost per platform.

WP Social Ninja social feed plugin dashboard showing multiple platform integrations and feed sources

Elfsight supports more platforms overall, but each one is typically a separate widget. If you need feeds from three different platforms, you are managing three separate widgets with their own settings and plans.

For WordPress users who want multi-platform feeds in one place, WP Social Ninja keeps it simple.

Layout options

WP Social Ninja gives you four layout types to display your feeds. Each layout gives you enough variety to match your page design without overcomplicating the setup.

WP Social Ninja social feed templates including grid, masonry, timeline, and carousel layouts for website display

Elfsight offers two layout options. The real difference shows up in how much you can customise within each layout.

With WP Social Ninja, you can create different template styles within the same layout type. Elfsight’s layouts are simple and offer less flexibility for deeper adjustments.

Post filtering and ordering

Not every post on your feed belongs on your website. Good filtering lets you show only what supports your brand.

WP Social Ninja gives you control over both what appears and how it is ordered. You can set the number of posts to display, choose the post order, and filter by post type.

You can also show posts containing specific words or hashtags, hide posts containing certain words or hashtags, and hide specific posts by ID. That level of control means your feed always reflects the right content.

WP Social Ninja social feed plugin filter settings with post limit, sorting, and keyword-based content control

Elfsight offers two sorting options and filtering by username, hashtag, or URL. It covers the basics but does not go as deep on post-level control.

Elfsight social feed widget filter settings with options to include or exclude posts using keywords and hashtags

Post caching and local image storage

This is where WP Social Ninja pulls ahead clearly on the performance side.

WP Social Ninja caches your social feed posts directly on your server. When a visitor loads your page, the feed pulls from your local cache instead of making a live API call. Pages load faster. The feed stays stable even if the source platform has a temporary issue.

WP Social Ninja feed performance settings with image optimization, caching, and faster loading configuration

Elfsight does not offer post caching. Every load triggers an external request, which can slow things down and create dependency on third-party uptime.

WP Social Ninja also stores reviewers and posts images locally. Elfsight does not. For WordPress site owners who care about page speed and Core Web Vitals, this difference matters.

Facebook Events and Album feeds

If you run events or want to showcase photo albums directly from your Facebook Page, WP Social Ninja supports both Facebook Events and Facebook Album feeds along with Specific Video Playlist.

WP Social Ninja feed settings showing content selection for videos, photos, albums, and other feed types

Elfsight supports Facebook Album feeds but does not offer a dedicated Events feed.

If promoting and displaying upcoming events directly from your Facebook Page is important to your business, WP Social Ninja is the only option here.

Advanced styling options

Both tools give you control over how your feed looks. But the depth of customisation is different.

WP Social Ninja lets you style the full feed container, the individual post cards, and the header. You can also add a custom image and bio in the header area, making the feed feel like a native part of your page rather than an embedded widget.

WP Social Ninja social feed plugin style settings with customization for layout, header, and content design

Elfsight’s styling options let you toggle the author name, photo, and basic display settings. Clean and simple, but limited if you want the feed to integrate tightly with your brand design.

Shoppable Instagram Feed

Both WP Social Ninja and Elfsight support shoppable Instagram feeds, but they serve different audiences.

WP Social Ninja’s shoppable feed directly works inside WordPress. You can tag products from your store directly in your Instagram posts and let visitors shop without leaving your page.

WP Social Ninja shoppable feed feature allowing custom product links and call to action buttons on feed posts

Elfsight’s shoppable Instagram feed is only available for Shopify. If your store runs on WooCommerce or any other platform, this feature is not an option for you with Elfsight.

Chat widgets features

WP Social Ninja supports 15+ chat platforms. Elfsight supports 8. But platform count is just the starting point. The real difference shows up in how much control you get over availability, styling, and how the widget behaves for your visitors.

Here’s a quick overview of social chat widgets features of WP Social Ninja and Elfsight:

FeatureWP Social NinjaElfsight
Supported chat platforms15+7+
Pre-built templates4A few
Multi-platform chat on one pageYesNo
Chat button textYesYes
Chatbox styling optionsAdvancedBasic
Close button colorYesNo
Display by page or post typeYesNo
Widget position options4Limited
Offline/away messageYesNo
Popup chat with delay controlYesLimited (exit-intent only)

Pre-built templates

WP Social Ninja gives you 4 pre-built chat widget templates. Each one is built for a different purpose. You can use them to answer common queries, offer custom support, collect feedback, or run promotional messages. You are not locked into one look or one use case.

WP Social Ninja chat widget plugin templates for support, feedback, and customer communication

Elfsight also offers a few templates to get you started. You can pick one and begin customising from there. The options are more limited in terms of what each template is designed to do.

Multi-platform chat on one page

This is one of the most practical differences between the two tools.

With WP Social Ninja, you can show multiple chat widgets from different platforms on the same page at the same time. A visitor can reach you via WhatsApp, Messenger, or Telegram without switching pages or widgets. You manage all of it from one place.

WP Social Ninja multichannel chat widget with WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, and SMS integration as an Elfsight alternative

Elfsight treats each platform as a separate widget. If you want to offer WhatsApp and Messenger on the same page, you are setting up, managing, and paying for two separate widgets.

As your chat needs grow, so does the complexity and cost.

Chat widget styling

Your chat widget is one of the first things many visitors look for. It should feel like a natural part of your site, not a third-party embed.

Both tools let you customise the chat button text, which is a small but important detail. A button that says “Chat with us on WhatsApp” converts better than a generic icon.

WP Social Ninja gives you advanced chatbox styling options. You get granular control including close button color, which Elfsight does not offer.

WP Social Ninja chat widget styling options with color customization for messages, buttons, and interface

Elfsight covers the basics well but does not go as deep on per-element control.

Elfsight chat widget appearance settings showing color controls, notification badge, and message styling

Display by page or post type

Not every chat widget belongs on every page. You might want your sales chat on product pages but a support widget on your help content.

WP Social Ninja lets you control exactly where each chat widget appears. You can display it based on specific pages, posts, or post types. This means different widgets can serve different purposes across different parts of your site.

WP Social Ninja chat widget display settings with position, page targeting, and visibility controls for websites

Elfsight does not offer this level of display control. The widget either appears site-wide or requires manual page-by-page management.

Offline and away message

You cannot be online around the clock. But your visitors do not always know that. Without an offline message, they are left waiting with no idea when to expect a reply.

WP Social Ninja lets you set a scheduled offline window by date and time. During those hours, visitors see a personalised message letting them know you are unavailable and when to expect a response. It keeps the experience professional even when your team is away.

WP Social Ninja chat widget offline schedule with availability hours, time settings, and custom offline message

Elfsight does not offer an offline or away message feature. Visitors get no feedback when no one is available, which can hurt trust and push them to look elsewhere.

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Pricing: WP Social Ninja vs. Elfsight

You are in for the most interesting part of any comparison: the pricing. A major portion of your decisions are made based on this. Let’s check out the annual pricing of WP Social Ninja and Elfsight.

WP Social NinjaSingle SiteAgencyUnlimited
$89$299$499
Elfsight (approximate)BasicProPremium
$180$360$720

As you can see in the chart, there is a drastic difference in the pricing between the plugins. Elfsight pricing is too high, considering their features are mostly available with WP Social Ninja. Moreover, Elfsight has been in the market for the last 8 years.

But it’s been a couple of years since WP Social Ninja got on the market, and yet it has all those incredible features and more. Only time will tell what it has stored for its future, and we can say it’s an Elfsight alternative.

Win your customers’ hearts with exceptional features

Discover how WP Social Ninja can assist you in designing outstanding customer experiences.

Demo image

Choose the best Elfsight alternative

Both WP Social Ninja and Elfsight are capable tools. Elfsight works well if you are on a non-WordPress platform and need a quick widget to embed. It is easy to get started and covers a wide range of use cases.

But if you are running a WordPress website and want reviews, social feeds, and chat widgets managed from one place, under one subscription, with no view limits and no per-widget pricing, WP Social Ninja is the more practical choice.

You get deeper filtering, better performance features like post caching and local image storage, multi-platform chat on a single page, and display control that Elfsight simply does not offer for WordPress users.

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