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Auto Submenu

By Diana van de Laarschot

Site Structure & Navigation / Menu Management & Mega Menus

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Auto Submenu Review - In-Depth Analysis

Auto Submenu enhances WordPress menus by automatically adding child pages. Customize the nesting depth and titles using wildcards.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.57/10

User Rating

4/5 (based on 25+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Auto Submenu is a powerful tool that allows you to enhance your WordPress menus by automatically including child pages. This plugin provides extra functionality beyond the default custom menu options.

With Auto Submenu, you can easily manage your menu structure. Enable the plugin and navigate to Appearance > Editor to configure your menu settings. You can choose to add child pages as submenus, specify the maximum nesting depth, and customize the titles of the child pages using various wildcards.

The plugin also integrates with the WordPress Customizer and Full Site Editing, giving you flexibility in managing your menus. With the Free version, all subpages are added without control over nesting depth, making it easy to create dynamic menus.

Comparing to Alternatives

Auto Submenu is a straightforward plugin designed to automate submenu creation, with a direct alternative available that offers similar functionality.

Top alternatives

Auto Subpage Menu ( WPS: 6.56)

Strengths

Simple and effective for automating submenu creation
Works well without complex configuration
Good for beginners due to its straightforward approach
No known security vulnerabilities reported
Integrates smoothly with WordPress menus

Weaknesses

Lacks detailed documentation for setup and usage
Requires correct initial page hierarchy setup; cannot fix after creation
No pro version or advanced features available
Some users report it does not work as expected in certain setups

User Sentiment Analysis

With an overall rating of 4 out of 5 from 25 users, most reviews are positive, though a notable minority report issues with functionality.

Positive highlights

'Works perfect' - mkoppen
'Working fine in 2023' - Claudio
'Should be indeed core function' - emrock5
'An excellent tool' despite some flaws - thorshammer

Common complaints

Plugin does not add submenu items as expected
Fails to display submenu even with correct settings
Cannot correct submenu hierarchy after initial setup

Weaknesses

Limited error handling or recovery options
Setup can be confusing without better instructions
No updates or support for fixing reported issues
Functionality may be inconsistent across different WordPress configurations

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a simple, no-frills plugin to automate submenu creation in WordPress, especially those comfortable setting up page hierarchies correctly from the start.

Not ideal for

Users who need robust support, advanced features, or who may require flexibility to adjust submenu structures after initial creation.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides the core functionality of automatically adding submenu items based on page hierarchy without limitations.

Final Verdict

Auto Submenu offers a simple and effective solution for automating submenu creation in WordPress, with a strong positive reception from most users appreciating its ease of use and reliability. Its lack of security issues is a significant plus, and it integrates well with standard WordPress menus.

However, the plugin has notable limitations, including a lack of detailed documentation, inability to correct submenu hierarchy after creation, and some reports of it not working as expected. Users seeking more advanced features or flexibility may want to consider alternatives like Auto Subpage Menu.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Auto Submenu plugin.

Dynamic menus

Auto submenu

WordPress menus

Screenshots

FAQ

Here’s a walkthrough:

Create a page with title “Page 1”
Save the page
Create a child page with title “Child Page 1” and parent “Page 1”
Save the child page
Go to Appearances > Menus (or via Appearance > Customize or Appearance > Editor, in WordPress 5.4 or higher)
Add your page named “Page 1”
Open the menu item and check “Automatically create submenu with child pages”
Save the menu

If you now look at your website, “Page 1” has a submenu with “Child Page 1” below it. Add additional child page and you will automatically see these additional child pages in the menu.