Monarch (Elegant Themes) is the social sharing plugin for Divi-ecosystem sites: 20+ networks, five placement types — inline, popup, fly-in, sidebar, and above/below content — with share counts, hover animations, and the design polish Divi users expect. Its differentiator among sharing plugins is placement flexibility combined with Elegant Themes’ maintenance; the functional core is what every sharing plugin does, executed cleanly. Against auto-posting tools like automated social posting, Monarch is the on-site sharing layer — it encourages visitors to share your content rather than pushing your content to networks. Both belong in a complete social strategy; they solve opposite directions of the same problem.
The version metadata is not publicly published by the developer (Elegant Themes distributes through membership), so this article tracks updates through the Elegant Themes changelog channel rather than a public version ledger — the plugin updates with the Elegant Themes membership.
Competitive Features
- Five placement types — inline content, popup, fly-in, sidebar, and above/below content
- 20+ social networks — all major platforms plus niche networks
- Share counts — cached, aggregate counts with configurable display
- Hover animations — 350+ hover effect combinations
- Mobile-native triggers — bottom-of-screen bar optimized for phones
- Popup and fly-in sharing — timed triggers for share prompts
- Divi/Elegant Themes native — consistent with the ecosystem’s design system
Key Features
- Share button customization — colors, shapes, sizes per network
- Count management — total and individual share counts with reset controls
- Shortcodes and widgets — placements anywhere on the site
- Minimum count thresholds — hide counts until a number is reached
- Network ordering — drag-and-drop priority per placement
- Performance-conscious — counts cached, scripts load conditionally
- Multisite compatible — network-ready
Comparison with Competitors
Monarch vs Social Auto Poster Pro
| Aspect | Monarch | Social Auto Poster Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Visitor shares your content | Your content auto-posts to networks |
| Trigger | Visitor action | Publishing schedule |
| Counts and UI | Yes | Not applicable |
| Network posting | No | Yes, automated |
| Complementary? | Yes | Yes |
Bottom line: Opposite halves of social distribution. Monarch maximizes on-site sharing by visitors; Social Auto Poster pushes your posts out automatically. Content sites typically want both — outbound reach plus inbound share friction minimized.
Monarch vs Revive Old Posts
| Aspect | Monarch | Revive Old Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Function | On-site sharing UI | Automated resurfacing of old posts |
| Audience action | Visitor-initiated | Automated publishing |
| Scheduling | No | Core feature |
| Share counts | Yes | No |
| Best for | Sharing UX | Content recycling |
Bottom line: Revive Old Posts automates pushing existing articles to social feeds on a schedule — a traffic-generation tool. Monarch makes sharing effortless for the traffic that arrives. Archive recycling plus low-friction sharing cover the full loop.
Recommended Stack — sharing converts best on engaging pages: pair Monarch with popup campaigns alongside sharing so share prompts and opt-ins don’t compete for the same popups — separate their trigger logic deliberately.
Plugin Updates
Monarch is distributed through Elegant Themes membership without a public version ledger. Updates arrive via the Elegant Themes update channel as the developer publishes them, and the plugin’s version metadata reflects each release.
Because Elegant Themes does not maintain a public changelog for Monarch’s individual releases, we don’t display specific version numbers or release dates here — check the Elegant Themes blog and changelog announcements for current release notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which social networks does Monarch support?
Over 20 networks including Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Reddit, Telegram, and email — with buffer-style toggles per placement, so different placements can show different networks.
Do share counts display accurately?
Monarch caches and aggregates counts per network, with configurable minimum thresholds so pages don’t display single-digit counts. Counts reset and rebuild per network API changes — the standard behavior for share-count plugins.
Does it work outside Divi?
Yes — Monarch works on any theme via shortcodes, widgets, and automatic content placement. The Divi connection is design-consistency, not a technical requirement.
Can I trigger share popups automatically?
Yes — popup and fly-in placements support timed triggers and scroll-based appearance, prompting visitors to share after engagement without permanent on-page buttons.
How is Monarch updated?
Through Elegant Themes membership: the plugin updates via the standard WordPress update flow when Elegant Themes publishes releases. There’s no public per-version changelog; release notes appear in Elegant Themes announcements.
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