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Easy Table of Contents

By Magazine3

Content Management / Blog & Article Publishing

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

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

Easy Table of Contents Review - In-Depth Analysis

Easy Table of Contents adds a user-friendly way to create and display a table of contents for your posts and pages. It automatically generates the TOC from the content's headers.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.08/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 221+ reviews)

Active Installations

600,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

3.8 / 10 (Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Easy Table of Contents is a user-friendly plugin that allows you to insert a table of contents into your posts, pages, and custom post types. It automatically generates the table of contents by parsing the content for headers, making it easy for users to navigate through your content.

This plugin supports various page editors and offers many customizable options, including themes, bullet formats, and the ability to selectively enable the TOC on a post-by-post basis. You can also use a widget to display the TOC in your theme's sidebar, ensuring it remains visible as users scroll down the page.

With the Pro version, you gain access to additional features such as a Gutenberg block, Elementor widget, sticky TOC options, and enhanced customization capabilities. This makes it easier to create a professional-looking table of contents that meets your specific needs.

Comparing to Alternatives

Easy Table of Contents is one of the most established players in its category, competing against a crowded field of both block-editor-native and classic solutions. Its longevity and broad compatibility set it apart, though newer alternatives often offer cleaner Gutenberg integration.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Auto-detects headings and builds a TOC with minimal configuration
Works with both classic and block editors, plus popular page builders like Elementor and Yootheme
Highly customizable styling, including unobtrusive display options
Compatible with WPML for multilingual sites
Long track record and large install base

Weaknesses

History of multiple XSS and CSRF vulnerabilities, though all have been patched
Some users report PHP8 compatibility quirks affecting anchor links
Heavier post-content modification compared to lighter block-based alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

With 219 ratings and an overall 4.4/5 score, sentiment is largely positive—75.8% of reviewers give five stars—but a notable 12.8% land in the 1-2 star range, pointing to a minority of frustrated users, often tied to support or premium-version experiences.

Positive highlights

"Excellent support! The team was very helpful and resolved my issue." — rafiqaqil1
"Elegant and functional... translates well with WPML." — Oligraph
"The support team was extremely helpful" resolving an Elementor compatibility issue — hernan96
"Auto-detects headings, is easy to configure... saved me time and improved navigation." — MJ Habib
"Great plugin, great support" after a quick fix for Yootheme Pro compatibility — thefbi

Common complaints

Paid module allegedly contained spam link injections, with unresponsive support and refusal to issue a refund despite refund policy terms
Persistent error messages and a non-functional mobile table of contents in the paid version, with no resolution after months of reported issues

Weaknesses

Past vulnerabilities including Stored XSS and CSRF issues, though all have been patched in current versions
A vocal minority report unresolved paid-version bugs and poor refund responsiveness
Some compatibility friction with PHP8 and certain themes/page builders

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Bloggers, content publishers, and site owners with long-form posts who want an easy, highly customizable TOC that works across classic and block editors, plus popular page builders like Elementor and Yootheme. Its strong support reputation makes it a solid pick for less technical users who may need setup help.

Not ideal for

Security-conscious users should ensure they're running the latest version given the plugin's history of patched XSS and CSRF vulnerabilities. Those on PHP8 experiencing anchor link issues, or anyone relying heavily on premium features, may want to test thoroughly before committing, as a handful of reviewers report unresolved paid-version bugs.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers automatic heading detection, flexible styling options, WPML compatibility, and support for both classic and block editors—covering most standard TOC needs without cost.

Pro version (49 - 199 USD / year)

A premium tier is available with additional features and compatibility fixes (e.g., for Yootheme), though some reviewers report dissatisfaction with paid-version reliability and support responsiveness on bug fixes.

Final Verdict

Easy Table of Contents remains a dependable, feature-rich choice with a strong majority of satisfied users praising its ease of use, styling flexibility, and responsive support team. However, its patched history of multiple XSS and CSRF vulnerabilities warrants keeping the plugin updated at all times, and a small but vocal group of reviewers cite serious frustrations with the premium version and refund handling.

Given the wide array of modern alternatives—many built natively for the block editor—buyers should weigh whether Easy Table of Contents' broader compatibility and mature feature set outweigh the occasional support and reliability complaints. For most users, especially those already comfortable with its free feature set, it remains a solid option; those specifically eyeing the pro tier should proceed with tempered expectations.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Easy Table of Contents plugin.

Table Of Contents

Toc

content navigation

Screenshots

FAQ

You first stop should be the Table of Contents settings admin page. You can find this under the Settings menu item.

You first and only required decision is you need to decide which post types you want to enable Table of Contents support for. By default it is the Pages post type. If on Pages is the only place you plan on using Table of Contents, you have nothing to do on the Settings page. To keep things simple, I recommend not changing any of the other settings at this point. Many of the other settings control when and where the table of contents is inserted and changing these settings could cause it not to display making getting started a bit more difficult. After you get comfortable with how this works… then tweak away 🙂

With that out of the way make sure to read the How are the tables of contents created? FAQ so you know how the Table of Contents is automatically generated. After you have the page headers setup, or before, either way… Scroll down on the page you’ll see a metabox named “Table of Contents“, enable the Insert table of contents. option and Update and/or Publish you page. The table of contents should automatically be shown at the top of the page.

The table of contents is generated by the headers found on a page. Headers are the <h1>,<h2>,<h3>,<h4>,<h5>,<h6> HTML tags. If you are using the WordPres Visual Post Editor, these header tags are used and inserted into the post when you select one of the Heading n options from the formatting drop down. Each header that is found on the page will create a table of content item. Here’s an example which will create a table of contents containing the six items.

<h1>Item 1</h1> <h1>Item 2</h1> <h1>Item 3</h1> <h1>Item 4</h1> <h1>Item 5</h1> <h1>Item 6</h1>

You can also create “nested” table of contents. This is difficult to explain so I’ll illustrate building on the previous example. In this example a table of contents will be created with the same six items but now the first three will each an child item nested underneath it. The indentation is not necessary, it was only added for illustration purposes.

<h1>Item 1</h1>     <h2>Item 1.1 -- Level 2</h2> <h1>Item 2</h1>     <h2>Item 2.1 -- Level 2</h2> <h1>Item 3</h1>     <h2>Item 3.1 -- Level 2</h2> <h1>Item 4</h1> <h1>Item 5</h1> <h1>Item 6</h1>

You are not limited to a single a single nested item either. You can add as many as you need. You can even create multiple nested levels…

<h1>Item 1</h1>     <h2>Item 1.1 -- Level 2</h2>         <h3>Item 1.1.1 -- Level 3</h3>         <h3>Item 1.1.2 -- Level 3</h3>         <h3>Item 1.1.3 -- Level 3</h3>     <h2>Item 1.2 -- Level 2</h2>       <h3>Item 1.2.1 -- Level 3</h3>       <h3>Item 1.2.2 -- Level 3</h3>       <h3>Item 1.2.3 -- Level 3</h3>     <h2>Item 1.3 -- Level 2</h2> <h1>Item 2</h1>     <h2>Item 2.1 -- Level 2</h2>     <h2>Item 2.2 -- Level 2</h2> <h1>Item 3</h1>     <h2>Item 3.1 -- Level 2</h2>     <h2>Item 3.2 -- Level 2</h2> <h1>Item 4</h1> <h1>Item 5</h1> <h1>Item 6</h1>

You can nest up 6 levels deep if needed. I hope this helps you understand how to create and build your own auto generated table of contents on your sites!