The strongest Easy Table of Contents alternative for most sites is Table of Contents Plus, a long-standing, lightweight plugin that auto-generates a clean contents box and sitemap. For richer styling controls, LuckyWP Table of Contents is a strong free pick, while CM Table of Contents suits sites wanting a more configurable, feature-led approach. We ranked these from our index of 55,000+ WordPress plugins.

Why people switch from Easy Table of Contents

• People wanting a proven, ultra-light generator move to Table of Contents Plus.
• Those who need more styling and heading control move to LuckyWP Table of Contents.
• Sites wanting advanced layout and display options move to CM Table of Contents.
• Users who just want the simplest possible block move to Simple Table of Contents.

Table of Contents Plus – Lightweight and proven

Table of Contents Plus is a veteran plugin that automatically builds a collapsible contents box from your headings and can also output a site map. Against Easy Table of Contents, it is famously lightweight and battle-tested across many themes. The honest drawback is that its design is dated and it is updated infrequently, so it lacks the modern styling options newer plugins provide.

Choose Table of Contents Plus if you want a proven, lightweight generator that just works.

LuckyWP Table of Contents – Styling and control

LuckyWP Table of Contents offers a modern interface with fine control over headings, appearance, and hierarchy, plus a Gutenberg block and shortcode. Against Easy Table of Contents, it gives you more precise styling and layout options for free. The honest drawback is that active development has been quiet, so despite its polish it does not see frequent feature updates.

Choose LuckyWP Table of Contents if you want detailed styling and heading control without paying.

cm-table-of-contents – Configurable layouts

CM Table of Contents, from CreativeMinds, is a more feature-led plugin with configurable placement, appearance, and hierarchical display options. Against Easy Table of Contents, it targets users who want deeper configuration of how the contents render. The honest drawback is that the most useful options sit in the paid Pro version, so the free tier is comparatively limited.

Choose cm-table-of-contents if you want deeper configuration and are open to a paid upgrade.

simple-table-of-contents – Minimal block

Simple Table of Contents is a minimal plugin that adds a straightforward contents block with very little to configure. Against Easy Table of Contents, it wins on sheer simplicity for users who want to drop in a list and move on. The honest drawback is that its feature set is thin, with limited styling and automation compared with the more established options.

Choose simple-table-of-contents if you want the simplest possible contents block with no fuss.

When to stay on Easy Table of Contents

Stay on Easy Table of Contents if it already generates clean, automatic contents on your posts and you like its balance of options and simplicity. It supports auto-insertion, heading selection, and basic styling, and it is actively maintained. If your current setup reads well and performs fine, switching to another generator brings little practical gain.

How we ranked these

Every plugin here is scored by the WPS Score, a single 0 to 10 rating built from 21 signals covering maintenance, support responsiveness, compatibility, performance, and ratings quality across our index of 55,000+ plugins. Rankings are derived from that data, not editorial preference, and no plugin author can pay to change a score. How the WPS Score works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free table of contents plugin?

Table of Contents Plus and LuckyWP Table of Contents are both strong free choices. Table of Contents Plus is lightweight and proven, while LuckyWP offers more modern styling controls, so the best pick depends on whether you prioritise simplicity or appearance.

Do table of contents plugins help SEO?

A table of contents can improve usability and sometimes earns jump-to links in search results, which indirectly helps SEO. Plugins like Easy Table of Contents and Table of Contents Plus add anchored headings that make long posts easier to navigate for readers and search engines.

Will a table of contents plugin slow down my site?

Most table of contents plugins are lightweight and add negligible load. Table of Contents Plus in particular is known for its small footprint. As with any plugin, keep it updated and avoid running several overlapping contents plugins at once.

The verdict

The best all-round Easy Table of Contents alternative is Table of Contents Plus for its lightweight reliability, while LuckyWP Table of Contents wins on styling control and CM Table of Contents on configurability. If Easy Table of Contents already produces clean, automatic contents, staying put is a perfectly good choice.