Classic Elementor widget · Free
Featured Posts for Elementor: Your lead stories, a tab list and a post grid in one section
Give your best articles the top of the page. The Elementor featured posts widget shows a list of highlighted posts beside a grid of top articles, each list with its own query, so you can mix the latest, the most commented and the posts of one category. It builds an Elementor featured posts section with category badges, author and date, and Read More links, and it is free on Elementor Free.
- Two queries in one widget
- Category badge on the image
- Author, date and more meta
- Read More with an icon
The short answer
What is Featured Posts for Elementor?
Featured Posts is a free Elementor widget from Animation Addons that shows highlighted posts as a tab list beside a post grid. Each part has its own query, and every post can show its image, category badge, title, meta such as author and date, and a Read More link. It suits the lead stories of a blog, magazine or news home page.
With Animation Addons Pro active, the widget also fills an image banner above the list, which changes when a reader clicks a title in the tab list, and makes the first words of each title bold. With the free plugin alone, the banner area stays empty, so set its Height to 0 in Style → Banner. It is a classic widget for the Elementor 3 editor that keeps working in Elementor 4, and a free Elementor featured posts addon for any blog. For three posts in one row, use Banner Posts.
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- Plan
- Free (banner tabs and highlight need Pro)
- Widget type
- Classic Elementor widget (V3), works in Elementor 4
- Works with
- Elementor Free and Elementor Pro
- Layout
- A tab list beside a post grid, stacked on small screens
- Queries
- Tab Query and Grid Query, 3 posts each by default
- Filter posts by
- Term or author IDs, date range, sticky posts
- Meta
- Author, View, Date, Time, Time Ago, Comments, Reviews, Read Later
Live demos
Featured Posts designs, live
Two blog sections: a journal home page with an image banner and tab switching that Animation Addons Pro adds, and a company blog built with the free plugin alone. Click a title in the dark tab list.
This week’s featured stories
Lead stories on a journal home page
A large image banner, a dark tab list of three stories rising over it, and two more stories in a grid beside it. Click a title in the list to swap the banner. The banner, the switching and the bold first words need Animation Addons Pro.
Click a title in the listIn Style, set the Tab Area Width to 330 px and the Banner Height to 495 px. In Title, set Highlight Length to 5, and keep Tabs Read More on in Settings.
Picked by the team
Picked by the team, free plugin only
The tab list with two posts and a grid with two more, and no banner. Each post shows an author avatar, a "///" between author and date, and a Read More link with the arrow after the text.
Hover a title or Read MoreIn Style, set the Banner Height to 0. In Meta, turn Author Avatar on and keep Separator Between as ///. In Settings, turn Grid Read More on. In Read More, set Icon Position to After.
Features
Key features of Featured Posts
The benefits listed on the original page, each with the real setting behind it.
Highlight priority content
Put your lead stories in the tab list and more top articles in the grid, so readers see your most important posts first.
Two queries, full control
The Elementor featured posts tabs list and the Elementor featured posts grid each have their own query. Set the Tab Query and the Grid Query: Posts Per Page, Include By or Exclude By term and author, Date, Order By and Order.
Popular and trending posts
Order a list by Comment Count for an Elementor popular posts widget, by Date with a Past Week range for Elementor trending posts, or at random.
Rich post details
Show the category badge with Show Taxonomy, and Meta Data such as author with Author Avatar, date, time ago or comments, each with an icon.
Read More your way
Turn on Tabs Read More and Grid Read More, write the Read More Text, and add an Icon before or after it.
Video, audio and gallery posts
With Post Audio, Video & Gallery on, those posts get a play icon on the image that opens the media in a popup.
Responsive layout
From 992 px the list and grid sit side by side; below, they stack with images. Set the Tab Area width and thumbnail height per device.
Step by step
How to show featured posts in Elementor
Five steps, no code. The bold names are the labels in the Elementor panel.
Install and activate Animation Addons for Elementor, then turn on Featured Posts in Animation Addons → Elements.
Open your page in Elementor, search the panel for Featured Posts and drag it into a section.
In Query, set the Tab Query and Grid Query: posts per page, terms or authors to include, date range and order.
In Settings, Meta and Read More, choose the badge, meta items, separator and Read More text and icon.
Style the banner, tab area, grid, title and meta in the Style tab (Banner Height 0 without Pro), check mobile and publish.
Honest comparison
Featured Posts vs Banner Posts
Two free post widgets from Animation Addons for the top of a blog. In short, featured posts vs banner posts: Featured Posts mixes two lists, and Banner Posts shows three posts in one row. For an Elementor magazine layout, you can use both.
| Feature | Featured Posts | Banner Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | A tab list beside a post grid | Three posts in one row |
| Separate queries | Two: Tab Query and Grid Query | One |
| Choose the posts | Include or exclude by term or author IDs, date range | Recent Post, or pick from your latest 50 |
| Order by comment count, modified date or random | Yes | No |
| Category badge on the image | Yes | No |
| Author, views, date, time ago and other meta | Yes | Yes |
| Play icon and popup for video, audio and gallery posts | Yes | Yes |
Compared from the Animation Addons for Elementor widget settings, October 2026. The Featured Posts image banner needs Animation Addons Pro.
FAQ
Questions about Featured Posts
How do I show featured posts in Elementor?
Install the free Animation Addons plugin, turn on Featured Posts and drag it onto your page. Set the Tab Query and Grid Query, and the widget shows both lists with images, meta and Read More.
Is there a free Elementor featured posts widget?
Yes. Featured Posts is part of the free Animation Addons for Elementor plugin on WordPress.org. The image banner and the bold title highlight need Animation Addons Pro.
Can I choose which posts are featured?
Yes, by rule rather than one by one. Include or exclude posts by term IDs or author IDs, limit them to a date range, and set the order and the number of posts.
Can it show popular or trending posts?
Yes. Order a list by Comment Count for an Elementor popular posts widget, or by Date with Past Day or Past Week for Elementor trending posts. Each list has its own settings.
Can I make a magazine layout with it?
Yes. The list and grid side by side make a simple Elementor magazine layout for a news or blog home page. Add Banner Posts above it for a wider lead row.
Why is the banner area empty on my site?
The image banner and the tab switching are added by Animation Addons Pro. With the free plugin alone, set Banner Height to 0 in Style → Banner.
Can I show the category on each post?
Yes. Turn on Show Taxonomy, pick the Taxonomy and set a Limit. The badge sits on the post image, and you can style it in the Style tab.
Which meta can each post show?
Author with an optional avatar, views, date, time, time ago, comments, reviews and read later, each with an icon and your own separator.
Does it work in Elementor 4?
Yes. It is a classic widget, so Elementor 4 lists it with the legacy widgets and it works on the same page as atomic elements.
Pairs well with
Related Elementor widgets
Post widgets the original page listed next to Featured Posts. See all 102 widgets.
Animation Addons Pro · Elementor 4
Lead with your best stories
A free featured posts section with two queries, badges and meta for Elementor.
Halloween deal40% off every Pro planEnds 5 Nov
- 15-day money-back guarantee
- Rated 4.6 / 5 on WordPress.org
- No Elementor Pro needed
- Elementor 3 & 4 in one license