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Insert Pages

By Paul Ryan

Content Management / Blog & Article Publishing

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

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

Insert Pages Review - In-Depth Analysis

Insert Pages allows you to embed any WordPress content into other content using shortcodes. It supports pages, posts, and custom post types.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.85/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 71+ reviews)

Active Installations

30,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

6.2 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Insert Pages lets you embed any WordPress content, such as pages, posts, and custom post types, into other WordPress content using the Shortcode API. It also includes a widget for inserting pages into any widget area.

The real power of Insert Pages comes when you start creating custom post types, either programmatically in your theme or using another plugin like Custom Post Type UI. You can abstract away common data types into their own custom post types and show those pieces of content within your normal pages and posts by inserting them as a shortcode.

For example, if you teach a course and need to refer to an assignment due date, you can create a custom post type called Due Date. By using Insert Pages, you can easily update the due date in one location and have it reflected everywhere it is referenced.

This plugin is versatile and can be used in many scenarios, such as embedding video content with transcripts and other related information, ensuring that your content management remains clean and efficient.

Comparing to Alternatives

Insert Pages is a specialized plugin for inserting pages or custom post types into content, with several alternatives available that offer similar shortcode or block insertion features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and focused functionality for inserting pages or custom post types.
Supports insertion via page ID, slug, or title.
Includes a Gutenberg block for easy use in the block editor.
Highly rated by users for reliability and ease of use.
Quick developer response to issues and updates.

Weaknesses

Known security vulnerabilities in past versions, though fixed in recent updates.
Limited compatibility with some page builders like Elementor.
Occasional issues with inserting pages that have special characters in titles.
No pro version or advanced premium features available.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a high overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 71 reviews, the plugin is well-regarded by users, with 93% giving it 5 stars. Positive feedback highlights its usefulness and simplicity, while negative feedback is minimal and mostly related to compatibility issues.

Positive highlights

"Perfect" and "great plugin, works as intended" — Matthias Bathke
"Exactly what I needed to manage a lot of CPTs" — mchelles
"Labour saving device" and works well with Gutenberg — Daniel
"Really useful tool for combining different pages" — joeb2880
"Super handy way for quick navigation in blog series" with responsive developer support — lineuponline

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Does not work well with Elementor page builder.
Issues inserting pages with special characters in titles before recent fixes.
No advanced features or premium support due to lack of pro version.
Past security vulnerabilities require users to keep plugin updated.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who need a straightforward, reliable way to insert pages or custom post types into posts or pages, especially those using the classic editor or Gutenberg block editor.

Not ideal for

Users heavily relying on Elementor or other page builders that may conflict with this plugin, or those seeking advanced features available in premium plugins.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers all core features needed to insert pages or custom post types via shortcode or Gutenberg block, sufficient for most users.

Final Verdict

Insert Pages is a highly rated, focused plugin that effectively solves the problem of inserting pages or custom post types into content. Its simplicity and developer responsiveness make it a valuable tool for many WordPress users, especially those using the classic or block editors.

However, users should be aware of past security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues with some page builders like Elementor. Keeping the plugin updated is essential, and those needing advanced features may want to explore alternatives. Overall, Insert Pages offers excellent value as a free, easy-to-use solution.

Other Notable Features

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

Embed

Insert

Pages

Shortcode

Screenshots

FAQ

A basic template would look like the following. This would be a file on your theme directory, e.g., your-custom-template.php:

<?php /**  * Template Name: Name of your custom template  */ ?> <div id="your-wrapper-div">   <?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>     <div id="your-container-div-for-each-post">       <?php the_content(); ?>       <?php the_post_thumbnail(); ?>     </div>   <?php endwhile; ?> </div>

You can use whatever template tags that you’d like, check out the WordPress documentation.

You can hook into the ‘insert_pages_available_post_types’ filter to limit the post types displayed in the dialog. Here’s an example filter that just shows Posts:

/**  * Filter the list of post types to show in the insert pages dialog.  *  * @param $post_types Array of post type names to include in the insert pages list.  */ function only_insert_posts( $post_types ) {     return array( 'post' ); } add_filter( 'insert_pages_available_post_types', 'only_insert_posts' );

No! You can type out the shortcode yourself if you’d like, it’s easy. Here’s the format:

[insert page='{slug}|{id}' display='title|link|content|all|{custom-template.php}']

Examples:

[insert page='your-page-slug' display='link']
[insert page='your-page-slug' display='your-custom-template.php']
[insert page='123' display='all']

Contributors and developers

“Insert Pages” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Paul Ryan

the_elusive

Free Version

WPS

6.85

Average

Ratings

4.8 out of 5 | 71

Version

3.11.5

Last updated

3 months ago

Active installations

30,000+

WordPress version

7.0.7 or higher

PHP version

or higher

Languages

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Insert Pages Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (71)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Changelog

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (4)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.85

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