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/ WP Nav Plus

WP Nav Plus

By Matt Keys

Site Structure & Navigation / Menu Management & Mega Menus

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

WP Nav Plus Review - In-Depth Analysis

WP Nav Plus enhances the WordPress menu system for developers. It allows for split menus, divided menus, and custom menu layouts with ease.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.77/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 5+ reviews)

Active Installations

1,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average 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

WP Nav Plus has been designed to fill gaps in the WordPress menu system which make it difficult to accomplish many popular website design patterns. This is a tool built for developers to help get the right menu items output onto the page. This plugin applies no additional CSS styling or JS interaction to menus. Styling and interaction are the job of the theme, and may need to be altered to achieve your desired appearance.

This plugin integrates with the native WordPress WP Nav Menu function which means you can access all of the features of this plugin in your templates. There is also an included widget as an alternative integration method.

Many website designs call for a submenu, often right below the primary navigation in the header, or in a sidebar on interior pages. These submenus are designed to show the children of the currently active menu item. WP Nav Plus makes it super simple to build out these types of menus using the widget, or by using the 'start_depth' argument in your wp_nav_menu() function.

A fairly common website design pattern you may see online calls for the header navigation menu to be placed left and right of a central object, like the site logo. WP Nav Plus makes it very easy to build out these menus using the widget, or by using the 'divider_html' argument in your wp_nav_menu() function.

Often website designs call for a menu to be split up into multiple columns, or rows. Such as a multi-column footer sitemap. WP Nav Plus provides the capabilities you need to quickly build these custom menu layouts using the widget, or by using the 'limit' and 'offset' argument in your wp_nav_menu() function.

It is sometimes useful to display a particular segment of your WordPress menu on its own. Menu Segments allow you to specify a portion of your menu for display based on the parent menu item. Uses for menu segments could include Footer Sitemaps, Mega Menus, or all sorts of other custom menu layout needs. Accomplish menu segments by using the widget, or by using the 'segment' argument in your wp_nav_menu() function.

This plugin can be used either with the provided 'WP Nav Plus' widget, or in your PHP templates, by using the new arguments which this plugin adds to the WP Nav Menu function.

For help getting started please see the included documentation in the /documentation directory or online at: http://mattkeys.me/documentation/wp-nav-plus/.

Comparing to Alternatives

WP Nav Plus stands out in the WordPress navigation plugin space with no direct equivalents offering the same specific features and ease of use. However, there are several other plugins that provide alternative navigation solutions.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Works out of the box with minimal setup
Highly reliable with no reported issues over years of use
Effectively solves complex navigation submenu problems
Compatible with advanced templating systems like Timber/Twig
Simple and intuitive user interface

Weaknesses

No premium or pro version with extended features
Limited to navigation enhancements without broader menu customization
Smaller user base compared to some alternatives
Lacks some advanced styling options found in mega menu plugins

User Sentiment Analysis

The plugin enjoys a perfect 5-star rating from all users, reflecting unanimous satisfaction and positive experiences.

Positive highlights

'A very helpful plugin' that saves time and energy (jan-sen)
'Amazing plugin, solves so many problems' with navigation sub-menus (grex22)
'Just what I was looking for' especially for users transitioning from Joomla (webbmary)
'Great plugin' that integrates well with Timber WordPress plugin (9Xpi)
'Saved my bacon..!' showing strong user appreciation (kubik101)

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who need a straightforward, reliable plugin to enhance WordPress navigation menus, especially those who want to manage submenu markup easily or integrate with templating systems like Timber.

Not ideal for

Users seeking a plugin with extensive styling options, mega menu capabilities, or premium support features may find this plugin limited for their needs.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version includes all core features needed to improve navigation menus effectively without restrictions.

Final Verdict

WP Nav Plus is a highly effective and reliable plugin that addresses specific navigation menu challenges with ease and precision. Its perfect user rating and lack of security vulnerabilities make it a trustworthy choice for WordPress site owners needing enhanced menu control.

While it lacks a pro version and some advanced styling features, its simplicity and compatibility with templating systems make it ideal for users prioritizing functionality and stability over extensive customization. Alternatives exist for those needing broader menu solutions.