A long article can answer the right question and still make readers work too hard to find it. A table of contents turns headings into a visible navigation aid, helping someone jump to the section they need. The plugin decision is less about decorating a box and more about reliable placement, useful heading depth, and behavior on your actual theme.
Easy Table of Contents, Table of Contents Plus, and LuckyWP Table of Contents all address article navigation. This comparison uses official listings and vendor information reviewed on October 11, 2026. We have not measured engagement or search-result changes. A navigation feature can improve the structure of a page, but it does not guarantee rankings or a particular search snippet.
What a table-of-contents plugin should do
The basic job is to identify headings, create matching links, and place a concise outline where readers can use it. Automatic insertion suits a consistent editorial template; manual placement suits pages with unusual introductions or layouts. Both depend on real heading markup. A visually bold paragraph is not necessarily a heading, and a menu cannot repair an article whose hierarchy is confusing.
Before comparing features, decide which post types need an outline, which heading levels to include, and how many headings make one worthwhile. A short announcement rarely benefits from a large contents box. Our WordPress SEO-plugin comparison covers another part of publishing; readable article navigation should be judged on its own usefulness to readers.
| Plugin | Useful fit | Edition boundary | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Table of Contents | Automatic insertion with extensive placement options | Free core; Pro adds dedicated editor integrations and advanced features | Confirm paid site counts and renewal price; current pricing was not accessible |
| Table of Contents Plus | Consistent outlines across long-form content | Free directory plugin; no paid plan identified in reviewed material | Validate automatic placement against custom templates |
| LuckyWP Table of Contents | Existing sites needing block or shortcode controls | Free directory plugin; no paid plan identified in reviewed material | Directory warns it is not tested against the latest three major releases |
Easy Table of Contents
Easy Table of Contents offers automatic insertion, heading exclusions, hierarchy controls, appearance settings, and per-post choices. Its official listing describes support for several editors and page builders. It also explains that custom post types need their content to pass through WordPress’s content rendering mechanism. That detail matters when a custom template does not display the ordinary post body.
The listing identifies a separate Pro feature set, including a dedicated Gutenberg block, Elementor widget, fixed/sticky options, ACF support, and additional outline behavior. Being compatible with Gutenberg in the free version is therefore different from receiving its dedicated Pro block. Likewise, the free sidebar widget’s positioning options should not be assumed to provide every paid sticky feature.
The free plugin does not require a paid site allowance. A Pro edition is advertised through the vendor website, but its pricing page could not be reliably fetched during this review. We could not confirm the current purchase price, covered site count, or renewal schedule. Check those terms before buying for several sites rather than borrowing a price from an older review.
Strength: many controls for where and how an outline appears. Limitation: some editor-specific and advanced workflows require Pro. For a conventional article template, first confirm whether automatic insertion already meets your needs; buy an integration because it solves a concrete editing problem.
Table of Contents Plus
Table of Contents Plus focuses on automatically generating outlines for qualifying posts and pages. The current directory page documents heading thresholds, selectable placement, nesting, appearance controls, and shortcode or widget placement. It identifies the plugin as maintained by the AIOSEO team. This current information is more useful than assuming its maintenance status from an old comparison.
The free directory plugin is the edition considered here. No separate paid plan, annual renewal, or paid site cap was identified in the reviewed material. That makes license budgeting simple, while template work and maintenance still take time. Its current requirements are WordPress 5.7 and PHP 7.4, and the listing is tested through WordPress 7.1.3.
Strength: a consistent automatic workflow for articles with a recognizable structure. Limitation: a general insertion rule can be inconvenient when your pages vary widely. Review a tutorial, a landing page, and a short post before applying the same behavior everywhere. Decide how editors will override the default rather than making exceptions through ad hoc CSS.
For a documentation site, outline depth is an editorial decision. Including every minor heading can create a second long document before the first one begins. Start with the sections a reader is likely to seek, then check whether nested entries make the relationship clearer. The best configuration may be a shorter outline rather than the maximum available detail.
LuckyWP Table of Contents
LuckyWP Table of Contents provides automatic insertion and manual placement through a block, widget, or shortcode. Its directory listing describes heading depth, exclusions, per-post overrides, appearance choices, and a scroll-offset setting. Those controls can be useful on an existing site that already relies on its outline markup and anchor behavior.
However, the same official page prominently warns that the plugin has not been tested with the latest three major WordPress releases. The listed tested version is 6.7.10, with an April 2025 update. This does not prove that it fails on a newer installation, but it means current compatibility is unconfirmed. That uncertainty belongs in the selection decision, not hidden beneath a favorable feature list.
No paid edition or subscription was identified in the reviewed official listing. The free plugin’s minimums are WordPress 4.7 and PHP 5.6.20. These historical minimums are not a reason to maintain an obsolete runtime. Compatibility with your present editor, theme, and supported server environment still needs verification.
Strength: useful manual controls for a site already using it. Limitation: a material gap in recent compatibility declarations. For a fresh installation, prefer a candidate with current compatibility evidence unless you have a specific requirement and can validate this plugin’s behavior. For an existing site, plan any migration carefully so old fragment links remain useful.
Check the page behavior, especially on mobile
Use an article with a long title, several nested headings, repeated heading text, and a sticky site header. Follow every outline link and confirm that the target remains visible. Check keyboard navigation, the show/hide control, focus visibility, and text contrast. Smooth scrolling is a preference; reaching the correct section is the essential outcome.
At a narrow viewport, an outline should not push the article sideways or bury the introduction under excessive navigation. Long entries need to wrap naturally. If you add a sticky outline, verify that it does not obscure content or compete with another fixed control. A desktop sidebar design may need a different treatment on a phone.
Keep only one component responsible for generating the outline. A page builder, theme, or separate plugin may already add one. Duplicate insertion can create repeated boxes and conflicting heading identifiers. On a headless frontend, verify whether CMS-generated markup is retained and whether required styles and interactions exist in that application.
Choose a publishing workflow, then verify it
Choose Easy Table of Contents when its insertion controls or specific Pro integrations solve your editing needs. Choose Table of Contents Plus when you want a consistent free outline across conventional long-form pages. Keep LuckyWP on the shortlist primarily for an existing workflow you can validate, while giving its current directory warning appropriate weight.
After configuration, write a short editorial rule for heading levels and exceptions. Ask editors to preview the outline after reorganizing a post, since a good menu follows a good article structure. Review direct links to important sections when switching plugins: changing automatically generated anchor identifiers can make previously shared fragment URLs less helpful even when the page URL stays the same.