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OptionTree

By Derek Herman

Design & Themes / Themes & Templates

OptionTree Review - In-Depth Analysis

OptionTree is a powerful UI builder for WordPress theme options. It allows developers to create and manage theme options and meta boxes easily. The plugin features a drag-and-drop interface for building options panels.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.78/10

User Rating

4.7/5 (based on 105+ reviews)

Active Installations

50,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

7.4 / 10 (High Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

OptionTree attempts to bridge the gap between WordPress developers, designers and end-users by creating fully responsive option panels and meta boxes with an ease unlike any other plugin.

Build your Theme Options panel locally with an easy to use drag and drop interface and then export a functioning theme-options.php file for production use that is i18n translation ready, with your custom text domain automatically inserted.

Also, OptionTree now takes full advantage of the new color schemes introduced in WordPress 3.8, it looks and feels built-in.

If you want to know how everything works, download and activate the OptionTree Theme and see first hand how to integrate OptionTree into your own project.

To contribute or report bugs, please go to the OptionTree Github repository.

Comparing to Alternatives

OptionTree is a popular WordPress plugin for theme options and custom settings, often compared to other frameworks in the same category.

Top alternatives

OptionTree

Strengths

Widely used by WordPress theme developers for creating custom theme options.
Integrates well with other plugins like MetaBox for enhanced functionality.
Open-source and free to use without restrictions.
Provides a comprehensive framework for building theme options.

Weaknesses

Lacks recent updates, which may affect compatibility with newer WordPress versions.
Some users report bugs in recent versions, impacting stability.
Limited official support and documentation compared to some alternatives.

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback highlights both the plugin's usefulness and some technical issues.

Positive highlights

'Best Framework' - praised for its comprehensive features and developer utility (wporganic).
'Useful plugin' with hopes for future updates (pouyadaraee).
Appreciated for ease of use and functionality (saeed.mzi).

Common complaints

Bugs reported in version 2.7+ causing instability (Hassan Hossinie).
Lack of support for certain features like list-item functionality (Ninetheme).
Error notices appearing in debug mode (Edgard_Roul).

Weaknesses

Infrequent updates leading to unresolved bugs.
Some features are not fully supported or malfunctioning.
Error messages in debug mode may concern developers.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Developers and theme creators looking for a free, open-source framework to build custom theme options without needing advanced premium features.

Not ideal for

Users seeking a plugin with frequent updates, robust support, and guaranteed compatibility with the latest WordPress versions.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a full-featured framework for creating theme options and custom settings without any cost or feature restrictions.

Final Verdict

OptionTree remains a valuable tool for WordPress theme developers who need a free and flexible options framework.

However, the lack of recent updates and some reported bugs suggest users should be cautious and test compatibility thoroughly before deploying on production sites.

Other Notable Features

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

Theme options

Meta boxes

Settings

Screenshots

FAQ

There sure is, and I’m glad you asked. Download and activate the OptionTree Theme and get some experience setting up OptionTree on your own with detailed directions and tips.