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/ Add Descendants As Submenu Items

Add Descendants As Submenu Items

By Alex Mills

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.

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Review - In-Depth Analysis

Automatically adds all descendants of a nav menu item as submenu items. Works with hierarchical post types and taxonomies.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.69/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 20+ 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

This plugin simplifies your navigation menu management by automatically adding all descendants of a menu item as submenu items. This feature is particularly useful for pages, categories, and any hierarchical custom post types or taxonomies.

With this plugin, you will no longer need to manually update submenus when you add new child pages to your site. It streamlines the process and saves you time.

Comparing to Alternatives

Add Descendants As Submenu Items stands out in its category by offering a straightforward and effective solution for automatically adding child pages or categories as submenu items. While there are several alternatives available, this plugin is noted for its simplicity and lack of upsell pressure.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and clean interface without unnecessary upsells
Effectively handles large sites with deep page hierarchies
Compatible with recent WordPress versions
Saves significant time by automating submenu creation
No known security vulnerabilities

Weaknesses

Does not support product categories or custom taxonomies
Submenu items appear only on the frontend, not in the admin menu editor
No updates in recent years, which may affect visibility in plugin search
Limited to pages and categories, lacking broader taxonomy support

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from all 20 reviewers, user feedback is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the plugin's reliability and usefulness for managing complex menus.

Positive highlights

"Works great and it's clean" - Michael Dance
"Merece 1000 estrelas" (Deserves 1000 stars) - fabsmoss
"Wow! Should be a part of default WP." - mlipenk
"Still Works with WP 5.1" - flyingkites
"A must have plug in!" - carlosvai

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Lacks support for product categories and some custom taxonomies
Submenu items do not appear in the menu admin interface
No recent updates may affect compatibility with future WordPress versions

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users managing large WordPress sites with complex page hierarchies who want an automated way to add child pages as submenu items without dealing with complicated menu setups.

Not ideal for

Those needing support for product categories, custom taxonomies, or who require submenu items visible in the admin menu editor may find this plugin insufficient.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides full functionality to automatically add descendants as submenu items without restrictions or upsells.

Final Verdict

Add Descendants As Submenu Items is a highly effective and user-friendly plugin that automates the addition of child pages as submenu items, saving time and effort especially on large sites. Its perfect rating and lack of security issues make it a trustworthy choice for users needing this functionality.

However, its limitations in taxonomy support and lack of recent updates may restrict its usefulness for some users. Those requiring broader taxonomy integration or admin menu visibility might consider alternatives, but for straightforward descendant submenu management, this plugin excels.