How to Add a Hashtag Widget to Your Website [+7 Free Tools]
Dayana Mayfield
on
Jun 29, 2026
A hashtag widget is a great way to add engaging content to your website, and make your website more interactive. Your audience can see content from a variety of creators—not just your brand—and might even find their content on your website, if they used your hashtag.
You can collect great images of your product, event, venue, or organization, without having to do all of the work.
Let your audience lend you a helping hand. Just tell people what hashtag to use, and aggregate the images or videos on your website.
You can even aggregate informational or trending hashtags on a news site or blog.
In this guide, we show you how to add a hashtag widget to your website for free. Plus, we offer 5 different tools you can use so you can choose the right option for your needs and budget.
What is a hashtag widget?
A hashtag widget is a tool that pulls public content from social media based on a specific hashtag and displays it directly on your website. These widgets are often used to showcase user-generated content (UGC), aggregate trending posts, or add dynamic, community-driven updates to a page.
Most hashtag widget tools let you choose which social media platforms to pull from—like Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok—and include moderation features so you can approve or reject posts before they appear on your site. This helps keep the content fresh, engaging, and brand-safe.
Whether you're promoting a campaign, collecting event photos, or just looking to add visual variety, a hashtag website widget is a low-effort way to boost social proof and keep your website feeling alive.
What social media platforms can you use for a hashtag widget?
You can add a hashtag widget to your website for any social media platform that utilizes hashtags. The most common of course is the Instagram widget, but it doesn’t stop there.
These are the most popular platforms for aggregating hashtag content:
Instagram
X (formerly Twitter)
TikTok
Facebook
LinkedIn
5 great examples of hashtag campaigns
Hashtag widgets can bring social media engagement to life on your website. Here are a few real-world examples of how brands and organizations use them to boost visibility, showcase user-generated content, and build community. And, if you need some strategy, check out these tips.
1. Gulf County Florida
This is a great example hashtag widget from Gulf County Florida's tourism website.
The headline above the images encourages website visitors to use the hashtag #InGulf on their favorite social media platform to share their images of Gulf County.
This makes the website more interesting and engaging, while helping the tourism organization to collect high-quality content that will attract more visitors to the region.
2. Atkins
Atkins uses a hashtag display to inspire its audience with low-carb lifestyle content pulled from Instagram and other platforms. By encouraging followers to use hashtags like #lowcarb, #lchf, and #keto, they’re able to showcase a vibrant feed filled with healthy recipes, motivational quotes, and user success stories.
This not only builds community engagement but also promotes brand-aligned habits and recipes in a visually appealing, shoppable format.
3. Chang Beer
Chang Beer invites fans to share their favorite moments using the hashtag #ChangBeer, in their instagram hashtag feed widget, creating a dynamic feed of user-generated content on their website. The widget showcases everything from food pairings to travel shots, all featuring the iconic green bottle. This campaign strengthens brand identity and encourages social sharing, while reinforcing a fun, community-driven experience that blends lifestyle and beverage culture.
You can find more examples and inspiration in our article on free social media feeds.
4. Quality Bottles
Quality Bottles uses an Instagram hashtag widget to showcase real customer photos of its reusable drinkware instead of relying solely on product photography. Visitors immediately see the bottles in everyday use, which builds credibility fast.
I'm a fan of this approach because it turns happy customers into brand advocates without extra work for the marketing team. As new tagged posts go live, fresh content appears on the site automatically, encouraging more customers to share and keeping the cycle going.
5. Fix My Curls
Fix My Curls uses a hashtag feed to pull real customer content from across social media and display it alongside their haircare products. Instead of relying on branded imagery, shoppers see everyday people using the products in real life.
My team has seen this play out with several ecommerce customers. When shoppers see a live hashtag feed on a product page, they're more likely to post their own content using that hashtag, which builds more social proof. For shoppers on the fence, fifty real customer photos beat any product description.
Top 5 ways to use a hashtag widget on your website
You can use a hashtag widget to aggregate any type of user-generated content. These are the most common use cases:
1. Showcase customer photos of your products
One of the top ways to use a hashtag feed widget on your website is to showcase customer photos of your products. By encouraging customers to use a specific hashtag when sharing their photos on social media, you can easily aggregate those photos using a hashtag widget. This allows you to create a dynamic and engaging gallery on your website that features real customers using and enjoying your products.
2. Share photos from a conference, wedding, or other event
If you're organizing an event, using a live hashtag widget can be a fantastic way to showcase (and collect and share) photos from attendees. By promoting a specific event hashtag, attendees can easily contribute their photos to a live feed on your website. This allows for real-time updates and creates a sense of community among event participants. It also enables those who couldn't attend the event to get a glimpse of the experience and engage with the content being shared.
3. Aggregate news or content on a certain topic
You can also use a hashtag widget to aggregate news or content on a certain topic. By choosing a specific hashtag related to your industry, niche, or area of interest, you can gather relevant content from social media platforms and display it on your site. This can provide your visitors with a comprehensive and up-to-date resource, showcasing different perspectives and opinions on the subject. It also allows you to position your website as a go-to destination for the latest information in your field.
4. Run a hashtag contest or giveaway
Hashtag widgets are ideal for running interactive contests on social media. Encourage your audience to post with a branded hashtag for a chance to win a prize, and display all qualifying entries directly on your website. This not only boosts engagement but also creates buzz and drives traffic to your site. By showcasing user content in real time, you build excitement around the campaign and generate authentic, shareable posts that can extend your brand’s reach.
5. Highlight employee or community stories
A hashtag widget can be a powerful way to humanize your brand by spotlighting the people behind it—or those impacted by it. Encourage employees or community members to share their stories using a dedicated hashtag. Then, display those posts on your website to show the real-world impact of your brand. This approach adds authenticity, builds trust, and strengthens the emotional connection between your audience and your mission, especially in purpose-driven or community-focused organizations.
How to add a hashtag widget to your website for free
It should only take a few minutes to add a hashtag widget to your website. This is especially true if you are using Curator as your social media aggregator. The free forever option can handle your hashtag campaign, well, forever.
So we are assuming you have chosen this option and have signed into your account. If so, follow these simple steps:
Step 1. Create a feed and set the approval status
Create a new feed and give it a name. Then set the default post status. We recommend choosing "Needs approval," which means that social media posts won't automatically show up on your feed. Instead, they'll need to be approved one by one. This setting is recommended for UGC and hashtag widgets because the content is coming from other users, not just your account.
Step 2. Choose the social media network
The next step is to choose the social media network. Instagram is the most popular option for setting up hashtag widgets.
You should then select the type of posts that you want to display. Click on "Hashtag."
Step 3. Enter the hashtag you want to aggregate content from
Next, you'll need to enter the hashtag that you want to pull content from. This can be a branded hashtag or a trending hashtag. Whatever you want.
Step 4. Moderate the content
Now it's time to moderate the content. Assuming you chose the “Needs Approval” setting use the green check button to approve any posts that you want to add to your widget. Otherwise, you’ll be clicking the red delete button to remove the posts you don’t want showing up.
Step 5. Stylize the widget
The next step is to update the look and feel of the hashtag widget. The fastest way to do this is to use preset templates. Grid is a popular option for hashtag widgets because text captions are hidden unless someone hovers over the post. This offers a clean look, with no text cluttering your website.
There are also plenty of customization options for colors, word count, spacings, and borders. So you can start with a template and then get the feel just right for your brand.
Step 6. Embed the widget on your website
Now all you need to do is hit "Publish" and then "Get code." Copy the embed code and paste it where you want it to go on your website.
For instance, if you want to add the widget to your blog sidebar, just head to the backend of your website and add a custom HTML code block to the sidebar area. Then paste the code in the text editor of the HTML code block.
Here's the finished hashtag widget, using the Grid template:
Step 7. Login occasionally to moderate new content
Lastly, make sure that you login from time to time to approve new posts. Otherwise, new content won't be added to the website widget. During an event, you may want to check for new posts on an hourly basis. But for most hashtag widgets, you can check weekly. Review new content and approve the images and video you like best.
You can also check out our guides on embedding content from a specific account if you only want to aggregate content from your social media profile and not other users:
How to embed your Instagram feed (check this post for tips on embedding custom HTML code in WordPress, SquareSpace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow, Drupal, and Hubspot)
5 best hashtag widget software
Not every hashtag widget tool is worth your time.
We tested and evaluated the options that made our list based on the criteria that actually matter for most websites:
Supported social platforms: We looked for tools that support multiple social networks, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X.
Customization options: We compared layout templates, branding controls, responsive design, and styling flexibility to determine how easily each widget can blend into different website designs.
Free plan quality: A free plan that forces platform branding on your widget or limits you to a handful of posts isn't genuinely useful. We prioritized tools with free tiers you can actually build with.
Moderation controls: Hashtag feeds pull in public content you don't fully control. The ability to approve, filter, or block posts before they appear on your site is essential.
Design flexibility: The widget should look like it belongs on your site, not like it came from somewhere else.
Ease of setup: No developer required. If it takes more than twenty minutes to get a feed live, that's a problem.
These free and affordable tools allow you to add a hashtag widget to your website:
1. Curator
With Curator, you can create hashtag widgets for free using TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. It also integrates with Reddit, RSS, Slack, and more. Curator offers widget templates, easy design customizations, and automated moderation.
Learn more and sign up for Curator's free forever plan.
Pricing
Curator offers a free forever plan, with paid plans starting at $23/month.
Key features
Hashtag widgets for multiple social platforms
Automated and manual moderation
Customizable templates and layouts
Responsive embeds
Multiple feed sources in one widget
Integrations with Reddit, RSS, Slack, and more
Pros
Supports more content sources than many competitors.
Better choice than Elfsight if you plan to combine multiple social networks.
Strong moderation tools make it ideal for user-generated content campaigns.
Easy to customize without coding and scales well as your website grows.
Cons
More features than smaller websites may need initially.
If you only want a basic Instagram hashtag feed, a simpler tool like Juicer may be enough.
2. Juicer
Juicer is another option for creating a hashtag widget or social wall. Juicer integrates with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Pricing
Juicer offers a free plan, with paid plans starting at $13.5/month.
Key features
Hashtag widgets across 15+ social platforms
Manual and automatic moderation
Multiple feed sources
Custom CSS and design controls
Call-to-action buttons
Unlimited website embeds
Pros
Lower starting price than Curator.
Good option for small businesses that only need a few feed sources.
Unlimited website embeds on all plans.
Easy to set up with a clean interface.
Cons
Fewer integrations than Curator.
Advanced moderation requires higher-tier plans.
Limited sources on lower-priced plans can become restrictive as your website grows.
3. Tagembed
Tagembed offers hashtag widgets for user-generated content with Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also use the platform to add a review widget to your website and pull reviews from Yelp, Google, AirBnb, Capterra, and Facebook.
Pricing
Tagembed offers a free plan, with paid plans starting at $19/month.
Key features
Hashtag widgets for 15+ social platforms
Manual, automatic, and AI moderation
Shoppable social feeds
Review widget integrations
Responsive templates
Multiple feed layouts
Pros
Better suited than Juicer for ecommerce brands.
Shoppable feeds are useful for product-focused websites.
Supports both social media and review aggregation.
AI moderation is available on higher-tier plans.
Cons
More expensive than Juicer for entry-level users.
Several advanced features are locked behind premium plans.
Customization isn't as flexible as Curator for businesses managing multiple content sources.
4. Elfsight
With Elfsight, you can create a hashtag widget, review widget, social media icon widget, contact form, and chat function for your website.
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plans start at $4/month (billed annually).
Key features
Hashtag widgets for Instagram, Facebook, and X
90+ widget types including reviews, chat, and contact forms
Customizable templates with no coding required
Works on 111+ platforms including WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow
Free installation service on all paid plans
Pros
Best option if you want a hashtag feed plus other widget types managed from one place.
Widest platform compatibility of any tool on this list.
The most affordable paid entry point at $4/month.
Cons
Free plan is capped at 200 views per month and includes Elfsight branding.
View-based pricing adds up quickly on higher-traffic sites.
5. Walls.io
Walls.io is another good option, but it's catered towards displaying social media content on TV screens during live events. If that doesn't match your use, then this platform will be unnecessarily complex and expensive.
Pricing
No free plan. Paid plans start at $215/month (billed annually). A 14-day free trial is available, no credit card required.
Key features
Supports 14 social platforms
Seven layout options including fluid, kiosk, and carousel
AI spam detection, sentiment filtering, and content moderation
GDPR compliance and security assessments on all plans
Direct posts, polls, and reactions available via add-on
Pros
Strongest option for live events and enterprise activations.
Real-time content updates and lead generation tools go beyond what most competitors offer.
Built-in GDPR compliance and security features make it suitable for regulated industries.
Cons
Pricey for small businesses or individual websites.
Polls, reactions, and real-time updates require paid add-ons on top of the base plan.
6. Flockler
Flockler lets you create social media feeds and hashtag widgets for websites and digital screens. It supports Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and more, with moderation and layout options for easy customization.
Pricing
No free plan. Paid plans start at $110/month (billed annually). A 14-day free trial is available, no credit card required.
Key features
Supports 10+ social platforms
AI-powered moderation via Garde AI on Business plans and above
Unlimited layouts, page views, and users on all plans
Custom CSS and no Flockler branding on every tier
API access and bulk feed creation on Premium
Pros
Good fit for mid-size to large organizations managing multiple feeds across departments.
No branding restrictions even on the entry-level plan, unlike Elfsight.
Agency tier is well-suited for teams managing social walls across multiple clients.
Cons
No free plan and a $110/month starting price is a significant commitment for smaller teams.
AI moderation and video autoplay are locked behind higher tiers.
7. EmbedSocial
EmbedSocial helps you embed hashtag content from Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. It offers automatic updates, moderation tools, and responsive templates to showcase user-generated content with minimal setup.
Pricing
Paid plans start at €24/month (billed annually), but there’s also a free plan.
Key features
Hashtag widgets for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more
Shoppable widget to turn social content into product links
Social media scheduling and listening built into the platform
Auto-sync keeps feeds updated without manual refreshing
Advanced analytics on all paid plans
Pros
Shoppable widget is a standout feature for ecommerce brands wanting to convert Instagram content directly into sales.
Broader than a pure aggregator, with scheduling and listening tools included in every plan.
Unlimited widgets on every tier, including the free plan.
Cons
Free plan is limited to one source and 500 views per month.
View-based caps apply across all plans, so high-traffic sites will hit limits quickly.
No native Twitter hashtag aggregation, making it a weaker choice if X is a primary channel for your brand.
Setting up a hashtag widget on your website opens up a world of possibilities, from showcasing customer photos to sharing event highlights and aggregating relevant content, allowing you to increase engagement and keep your website fresh.
Curator.io is an easy-to-customize aggregator that lets you pull from over a dozen sources. If you'd like to give Curator.io's free forever plan a spin sign up today.
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