Table of Contents Plus Review - In-Depth Analysis
Table of Contents Plus creates a structured index for long pages and custom post types. It can also generate a sitemap for all pages and categories.
Performance Overview
User Rating
4.5/5 (based on 183+
reviews)
Active Installations
200,000+
Update Frequency
Below Average
It is calculated using the weighted average of same category
plugins.
Security Score
4.6 / 10
(Low Risk)
It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.
What It Does
Table of Contents Plus is a powerful yet user-friendly plugin that automatically creates a context-specific index or table of contents (TOC) for long pages and custom post types. More than just a table of contents plugin, it can also output a sitemap listing pages and categories across your entire site.
Designed with Wikipedia in mind, the table of contents appears before the first heading on a page, allowing authors to insert lead-in content that summarizes or introduces the rest of the page. The plugin uses a unique numbering scheme that remains consistent across different themes.
This plugin is a great companion for content-rich sites, benefiting both content management systems and bloggers writing long structured articles. It includes an administration options panel for customizing settings like display position and minimum heading count before an index is displayed.
For power users, advanced options allow further tweaks, such as excluding specific heading levels or adjusting the top offset. Using shortcodes, users can override default behavior for specific pages or hide the TOC altogether. The plugin also supports custom post types, with options to enable them in the settings panel.
Collaborate and participate in the development of this plugin on Github.
Comparing to Alternatives
Table of Contents Plus is a long-standing, widely used option for auto-generating a TOC in WordPress posts. It competes with newer, more actively maintained plugins that offer similar core functionality with fewer historical security issues.
Strengths
- Simple setup that works out of the box with minimal configuration
- Long track record with a large, established user base
- Automatically generates and inserts a TOC without manual shortcodes
- Reportedly lightweight with no noticeable impact on page load speed
- Free to use with no feature paywall
Weaknesses
- Multiple past security vulnerabilities suggest inconsistent update cadence
- Some users report compatibility issues with certain themes after updates
- Lacks a pro version, so advanced customization options may be limited
User Sentiment Analysis
With 177 ratings and an overall score of 4.4/5, sentiment is largely positive: nearly 79% of reviewers give 5 stars. However, a notable 10.7% leave a 1-star rating, pushing the low-rating share to almost 12%, which points to a small but vocal group experiencing real problems.
Positive highlights
- "Have been using it for 6 months now. Love it" — nicolebmiller201
- "I've been using this plug-in on my website for years and it's always been solid and functional" — sandykc
- "It worked right out of the box! It didn't slow down the page loading time at all" — Vladimir Unguru
- "This is the best-working plugin for automatically displaying the table of contents of articles" — Senri Miura
- "I have tried almost 10 plugins, and in my opinion, this is the best among them" — findikhikayeleri
Common complaints
- Plugin updates broke compatibility with certain themes, such as Twenty Seventeen, forcing a user to roll back to an older version
- Post excerpts were unexpectedly replaced by the TOC content with no way to disable the behavior
Weaknesses
- A history of five known vulnerabilities, including stored XSS and CSRF issues, raises maintenance concerns
- Some users have switched to alternatives like Easy Table of Contents after update-related breakage
- Theme compatibility problems have appeared after certain plugin updates
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Bloggers and site owners who want a straightforward, no-cost way to add an automatic table of contents to their posts, and who are comfortable testing updates before applying them on a live site.
Not ideal for
Users running security-sensitive or high-traffic sites should be cautious given the plugin's history of five vulnerabilities, including stored XSS and CSRF issues. Those needing guaranteed theme compatibility or active, fast-turnaround support may also want to consider alternatives.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The free version includes full automatic TOC generation, customizable appearance, and smooth heading-based navigation, covering the needs of most standard WordPress sites at no cost.
Final Verdict
Table of Contents Plus remains a popular and functional choice, backed by strong overall satisfaction and a large base of long-term users who praise its simplicity and reliability. However, the sizable minority of 1-star reviews, coupled with a documented history of five security vulnerabilities including XSS and CSRF issues, suggests the plugin's maintenance has not always kept pace with its popularity.
For users prioritizing security and consistent theme compatibility, exploring the alternative Rich Table of Contents may be worthwhile. For those willing to keep an eye on updates and accept some risk, Table of Contents Plus still delivers solid core functionality at zero cost.
Other Notable Features
Here are a few other notable features of this free
Table of Contents Plus plugin.
Contributors and developers
“Table of Contents Plus”
is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.
