add social share buttons to WordPress

If you are looking to add social share buttons to WordPress, you will quickly find that there are a dizzying number of plugins to help you accomplish the task. No need to feel overwhelmed though. We did some heavy lifting on your behalf, and narrowed it down to just three of the top choices to make things easier.

In addition to reviewing their features, we will also teach you how to set them up and customize their settings. But first, a quick overview:

Plugin Free Version Paid Upgrade Channels Supported Customization Ease of Use
Jetpack
Read More
From $179.40/year * 14 🥈 🥉
Orbit Fox
Read More
17 🥉 🥇
Hubbub
Read More
From $34/year 6 ** 🥇 🥈
* First month of the paid Jetpack social module is free.
** Hubbub’s paid upgrade has a social network expansion pack that brings this to 17.

Add social share buttons to WordPress with any of these 3 plugins

Jetpack 🚀

Jetpack is an extremely popular WordPress plugin, originally created by Automattic for WordPress.com websites. While Jetpack offers a bunch of benefits and different functionality, the Sharing module allows you to easily add social share buttons to WordPress – and your blog posts, so readers can quickly share your content on their social media channels.

Currently, Jetpack supports:

  • Twitter / X
  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • many more networks

Here is an example of Jetpack’s default sharing buttons, though you can always choose a different style:

Jetpack default design of social sharing buttons

Like the look of these buttons? Read on to find out how to install Jetpack and set up the Sharing module on your WordPress website.

Installing Jetpack

To install the Jetpack plugin, select Plugins → Add New Plugin from your WordPress menu.

Adding a new plugin via the WordPress dashboard

Type Jetpack into the search function and then select Install Now → Activate. Just be mindful you choose the main Jetpack plugin, as there are other Jetpack modules – including one that you might be urged to install instead because of the name (Jetpack Social), but keep your eyes on the prize:

Installing Jetpack in WordPress

After activating the plugin, you’ll get asked to connect your website to WordPress.com to enable Jetpack to work on your site.

Note that this is optional. If you choose not to connect, then it will limit some functionality of the overall plugin – including some advanced customization options of the social sharing buttons – but it won’t affect the basic social sharing icons feature.

You can always choose to connect later. To get started right away, without connecting, simply click on Settings underneath the Jetpack button in the WordPress dashboard menu:

Click on Settings from the main Jetpack dashboard

Activating Sharing Buttons

After you click on Jetpack → Settings, the next step to activate the sharing buttons, is to click on Sharing.

Toggling on the Jetpack social sharing buttons

Here, under Sharing buttons, turn on the Add sharing buttons to your posts and pages button. Then click on Configure your sharing buttons. This will bring you to the main sharing settings section where you’ll be able to choose which social networks to add:

Choosing from available social networks in Jetpack

Once you’ve made some selections, you can see what they will look with the default style under Live Preview.

Further down on the page, you can:

  • Alter the button style
  • Change the labeling
  • Decide whether you want your buttons displayed on posts, pages, homepage, and/or media
Customization options for social share buttons in Jetpack

To finalize your choices, select Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

If you want to unlock advanced customization beyond what you see above, then you’ll need to move forward with connecting to WordPress.com (the step that we skipped near the beginning).

Is Jetpack Sharing the right plugin for you?

As you can see Jetpack buttons are extremely easy to add to your WordPress website. But is Jetpack for you? Here are some reasons Jetpack is the right choice for you.

  • You’re interested in one of the many other modules that Jetpack offers
  • You want access to more niche sharing websites like Pocket and Skype

Now, let’s have a look at the second option to add social share buttons to WordPress…

Orbit Fox Companion 🦊

The free Orbit Fox Companion plugin, created by us here at Themeisle, incorporates a number of modules focused on enhancing your WordPress website’s functionality. Social Media Share Buttons is one of these modules, enabling you to add beautiful buttons to your blog.

Orbit Fox provides over 20 social buttons for you to choose from and add to your WordPress website. You can take control over your sharing buttons, selecting their position on screen, and turning them on and off depending on the device being used to view your website. This is an example of Orbit Fox Companion’s sharing buttons…

Add social share buttons to WordPress with Orbit Fox

If these buttons appeal to you, then here’s how to set them up…

Setting Up Orbit Fox Companion

To get started, open your WordPress dashboard and install Orbit Fox Companion (this plugin can be installed in the same way as the Jetpack plugin or any other plugin).

Once installed, you will find Orbit Fox in your WordPress menu under Orbit Fox. Here, under Available Modules, activate the Social Sharing Module.

Activating social share icons in Orbit Fox

Configuring Sharing Buttons

Click the down arrow below the toggle button you used to activate the social sharing module and this will open up options to configure the sharing buttons.

Customizations include opting to display the sharing buttons on the right or left side of desktop and mobile devices, and whether to show each network’s name when users hover over a button.

Adjusting social share icon settings in Orbit Fox

You can then choose which social buttons to activate and decide if you want to display the buttons on desktop, mobile, or both. Remember to click Save at the bottom of the page, before checking out how your sharing buttons look on the front end of your website.

Social share icon choices for social websites

Is Orbit Fox Companion the right plugin for you?

Here are some reasons to choose Orbit Fox Companion over the other options:

  • You want the ability to turn your share buttons on or off depending on a user’s device (e.g. turn them off for smartphones)
  • You’re interested in some of the other features offered by Orbit Fox Companion
  • You want access to niche social networks like Reddit, WhatsApp, and more

But before you make a final decision we have one plugin left to explore…

Social Share Buttons – Hubbub Lite 🌺

The last WordPress plugin we are going to look at is Hubbub Lite, which has undergone several name changes. It was previously known as Grow Social, and before that as Social Pug. Names aside, this free plugin lets you add customizable social sharing buttons to your WordPress blog.

It also has some really nice customization features. For example, you can alter the shape, position, and spacing of your social buttons, choose to display them on mobile devices, and much more. 

Adding Hubbub social sharing buttons

After you install and activate it, you’ll see a Hubbub option show up in your WordPress dashboard. From there you can access the plugins settings, starting with the Toolkit, which lets you choose if you’d like your social share icons displayed as a Floating Sidebar or as Inline Content.

You can also choose both.

Once you toggle them on, you’ll see the Settings option appear next to the toggle:

Hubbub choosing between floating sidebar or inline content for social icon display

In addition, they will appear in the WordPress dashboard submenu, underneath the Hubbub button so you can quickly access them later.

Once you enter the Settings area, you can start configuring your social share icons, starting with choosing which social networks you’d like to display, and also which button style you’d like to go with:

Hubbub configuring sidebar sharing buttons

As you can see, unfortunately, Hubbub doesn’t support nearly as many social networks as Orbit Fox. However, if you’re willing to upgrade to their Pro version, then you can download an expansion pack, which unlocks a total of 17 social networks. Plans for the Pro start from $34.00 per year for use on a single WordPress site.

Otherwise, if you decide to stick with the free version to display sharing buttons on your WordPress website, below is a rundown of most of the options you can use to customize the look and feel of the social share buttons…

Hubbub social share customizations

There is quite a lot of flexibility there. Everything from button shapes to animations is available. In addition, Hubbub lets you choose custom colors, and also whether you’d like the social share icons to be visible on pages, posts, or events (or all three!). Don’t forget to click Save Changes when you’re finished.

Hubbub saving changes to social share icon customizations

Is Hubbub Lite the right plugin for you?

Here are some reasons to choose Hubbub Lite:

  • You want to display the share count for each network (how many times users have shared the post on each network)
  • You want to change the labels on your share buttons

Just remember – Hubbub has the shortest list of supported networks (unless you upgrade). The other two plugins offer a much wider selection. Although Hubbub does offer the unique feature of being able to share your content within the larger Mediavine network (the parent company who owns the plugin).

Final thoughts on social share buttons 🐱‍💻

The plugin you choose for your WordPress website will very much depend on your site’s needs.

Consider things like:

  • Whether the buttons match the style of your site and appeal to your audience
  • Whether you can customize the buttons
  • Where you can position the buttons
  • If the plugin supports all the social networks that are relevant to your business

Don’t worry if you are having trouble making a decision on which plugin is best for you. As all of the plugins are free to install and extremely quick and easy to set up, you can try them all out before settling on a favorite.

How will you add social share buttons to WordPress – which plugin has caught your eye? Please share your thoughts in the comments below…

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teknisi ugalugalan
August 26, 2018 8:27 pm

nice

Mai Fernandez-Taup
June 24, 2018 4:13 pm

Hi! Thanks for sharing this post. I have been trying to improve the look of my blog and making it more “share-able” Thanks for your post. It was easy to follow. Had no trouble installing the plugin.

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