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SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block

By Marc TÃ¶nsing

Content Management / Blog & Article Publishing

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

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

SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block Review - In-Depth Analysis

SEO-friendly Table of Contents Gutenberg block. No JavaScript and no CSS means faster loading.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.76/10

User Rating

4.9/5 (based on 77+ reviews)

Active Installations

10,000+

Update Frequency

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

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Add a Table of Contents block to your posts and pages. The TOC is a nested list of links to all headings found in the post or page. To use it, simply add a block and search for 'SimpleTOC' or just 'TOC'.

The maximum depth of the TOC can be configured in the block's sidebar among many other options. You can hide the headline 'Table of Contents' and add your own by using a normal heading block.

This plugin is designed and developed for WCAG 2.2 level AA conformance. It is tested with assistive technology and intended to be accessible, however, some third-party plugins or themes may affect the individual accessibility on a given website. If you find an accessibility issue, please let us know and we will try to address it promptly.

SimpleTOC is open-source and developed on GitHub Pages. If you find a bug or have an idea for a feature, please feel free to contribute and create a pull request.

Comparing to Alternatives

SimpleTOC is a minimalist and efficient table of contents block plugin with several alternatives available that offer different features and customization options.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Minimalist design with no frontend bloat by default
Easy to use and integrates well with WordPress Full Site Editing
Excellent support with quick conflict resolution
Allows styling through theme.json with optional block wrapper attributes
Stable and reliable performance

Weaknesses

Limited customization options compared to some alternatives
Lacks built-in show/hide toggle button by default
Optional block wrapper attribute may not be obvious to all users
No advanced animation or styling features included

User Sentiment Analysis

With a near-perfect 4.9 rating from 77 reviews, users overwhelmingly praise SimpleTOC for its simplicity, reliability, and excellent support.

Positive highlights

'Works almost out of the box' - Lovro Hrust
'Excellent and great Support' - Hans-Gerd Gerhards
'Great plugin that works really well' - Mark Wilkinson
'Does the job perfectly, and adds no bloat' - Clicknathan
'Lightweight, stable, and fully compatible with WordPress Full Site Editing' - js100

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Limited styling options without enabling advanced settings
No built-in show/hide toggle button by default
Minimalist feature set may not satisfy users wanting more customization

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a lightweight, straightforward table of contents block that integrates seamlessly with WordPress Full Site Editing and requires minimal configuration.

Not ideal for

Those who need extensive customization, advanced styling options, or built-in toggle animations may find this plugin too basic for their needs.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a fully functional, minimalist table of contents block with essential features and no frontend bloat by default.

Final Verdict

SimpleTOC is an excellent choice for users who want a reliable, lightweight table of contents block that works well out of the box with minimal fuss. Its high user ratings and positive feedback highlight its stability, ease of use, and responsive support.

While it lacks advanced customization and toggle features found in some alternatives, its minimalist approach ensures no unnecessary bloat, making it ideal for those prioritizing simplicity and performance.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block plugin.

Table of Contents

Gutenberg block

Accessibility

Screenshots

FAQ

SimpleTOC allows you to configure global settings for your WordPress website. These settings can be enforced globally, overriding any block-level configurations that may exist. To access these settings, navigate to the SimpleTOC section of the WordPress Settings.

Use the ‘simpletoc_excluded_blocks’ filter. For example, this code will exclude heading blocks that are inside a column block.

Example:

add_filter( 'simpletoc_excluded_blocks', function ( array $blocks ) {     $blocks[] = 'core/column';      return $blocks; } );

The heavy plus character I used can not be colored with css without hacks. But you can change the icon to something else and change the color of the new icon.

.simpletoc-collapsible::after {     content: "✖";     color: #e94c89; }

Add styles for the simpletoc/toc block to your theme.json. SimpleTOC uses the standard Gutenberg block wrapper and supports native colors, vertical margins, padding, font size, and line height settings.

The following example sets default colors, spacing, and typography for every SimpleTOC block:

{     "$schema": "https://schemas.wp.org/trunk/theme.json",     "version": 3,     "styles": {         "blocks": {             "simpletoc/toc": {                 "color": {                     "background": "#f5f5f5",                     "text": "#1e1e1e"                 },                 "elements": {                     "link": {                         "color": {                             "text": "#0057b8"                         }                     }                 },                 "spacing": {                     "margin": {                         "top": "1.5rem",                         "bottom": "1.5rem"                     },                     "padding": {                         "top": "1rem",                         "right": "1rem",                         "bottom": "1rem",                         "left": "1rem"                     }                 },                 "typography": {                     "fontSize": "1rem",                     "lineHeight": "1.6"                 }             }         }     } }

Replace the example values with your theme’s values or preset variables. Selecting the Box style adds the standard is-style-boxed class.