The best WordPress menu plugins expand on the default custom menus already available in WordPress. Menus are an important feature of your website, one that serves as a guide for your visitors.
In this post, we’ll recap some of the best WordPress menu plugins out there so you can pick the right one for your website. Let’s dive in!
What is a WordPress Menu Plugin?
A WordPress menu plugin provides additional functionality for creating website navigation menus beyond the default or native WordPress menu feature. If you need more features or complex functionality beyond what’s built-in to WordPress menus, a WordPress menu plugin can give you more options.
How to Choose the Best WordPress Menu Plugin
When it comes to selecting the best WordPress menu plugin for your site, there are a few important things to consider.
- Responsiveness – Your website’s navigation menus need to work on all devices, from desktops and laptops to mobile devices and smartphones. Your WordPress menu plugin should be responsive, meaning menus automatically adjust to the size of any device.
- Speed – Menus shouldn’t slow your site down. Website speed is still incredibly important for SEO, so choose a plugin with a solid code base that is optimized and built with speed in mind.
- Developer Credibility: There are trusted developers that maintain and update their plugins. Also, they have good customer service and detailed information for easy installation. Choosing a plugin with established developer credibility is always the best option.
- Security: If you want to install a plugin from an external site, check for malicious codes before progressing. The free WordPress.org plugin repository analyzes the code of plugins made available on their sites, so external ones will need a thorough analysis to guarantee the safety of the code (hint: don’t download or install versions of premium plugins from bootleg or nulled sources; most usually have malware or other dangerous code).
- Reviews and Ratings: The Internet is a community on its own; people give feedback on purchased products, installed software, and many more. Thus, faulty plugins with complications will be rated badly, and this would help you avoid the mistake too.
Now, for our list of best WordPress menu plugins ….
The Best WordPress Menu Plugins Compared
To help you choose the best WordPress menu plugin, we tested multiple WordPress menu plugins to highlight the features that each plugin provides, from the simple to the complex.
We’ve included both free and premium plugin options, so you can also decide your level of investment. Each plugin includes information on features, pros, cons, pricing, and our final verdict.
1. Max Mega Menu
This is a plugin that automatically converts a menu into a mega menu with the use of drop builders in the dashboard; that is, it changes it to become touch-friendly, easily accessible. It is a complete menu management plugin and offers a broad range of customization features like choosing colors, fonts and sizes.
Also, this plugin allows you to build complicated menus, add interactive features, and include calendars and forms. It is the only mega menu plugin with block or inline CSS styles.
More so, the mega menu feature for this plugin is free, and unlike other plugins, it loads fast and lightweight.
Furthermore, it has a pro version, which is an extension of the standard mega menu, and you install it as a separate plugin.
Features:
- It is free with many lists of tools
- Uses the regular WordPress menu interface which is familiar to many users
- Many icons are supported in the free version
- Animations are provided for slides and fades
- Adds icons like “Disable Link,” “Hide Text” to menu items
- Responsive touch
- In-depth documentation
The Professional Version Features:
- Great visuals like sticky menus, tabbed mega menus, custom icons, menu logos, Google and custom fonts, and menu item badges.
- Access to priority support
- Automatic WooCommerce and EDD updates
One significant advantage you would enjoy while using Mega Menus is the free price attached to it. Even without getting the Pro version, the standard version has many features that could suit your needs. This is an encouragement to small and medium-sized businesses seeking to maximize costs. Furthermore, using Mega Menus your options are organized. You know having scattered, unarranged groups when working can be frustrating.
However, there are also cons to using mega menus. One of these is that the items on the menu are exceedingly small to read. This can be a discouragement to people with eyesight problems.
Also, there are so many links attached to the top of the page, and this could be bad for SEO beginners.
2. Responsive Menu WordPress Plugin
This is one of the best WordPress menu plugins for mobile readiness. This plugin allows you to create full responsive menus for your sites, with mobile development for smartphones and tablets due to its many features. It has over 150 customization options and 22,500 different menus for user navigation.
Also, it supports short codes, WPML, loads amazingly fast and after installment, you can build your custom responsive menus in no time. Like the Mega Menu, it also comes with a free version. However, there is a paid premium version with expanded and extended features.
Features:
- Supports external scripts
- Supports background images and CSS elements
- Has an integrated header bar
- An extensive list of options for customizing menu
- Controls typography settings in the menu
- You can upload pictures for background photos while uploading other images as logos and icons
- Personal menu creation option
If you need to change your mobile view and you need a desktop image change, you should consider installing the responsive menu plugin.
3. Mega Main Menu
This is one of the cheapest and WordPress menu plugins that still has many features. It has several options that allow you to add various visuals from the dropdowns. There is also a wide variety of colors to choose from, meaning you brand your menu with the website.
This might turn out to be your preferred plugin because there is a free trial provided by the developers to allow you time to test the interface. This will help you decide if this is suitable for your business.
Features:
- You can add your preferred images, logos, and icons
- Access to over 1600 vector icons
- Ultimate customization from the wide range of colors available
- Compatible with WPML, WooCommerce, and Bootstrap
With these features and the low price, getting Mega Main Menu is a good option for you. Plus, the plugin is fully responsive, and it is functional on tablets and mobile phones.
4. UberMenu
This is a popular premium plugin and one of the Best WordPress Menu Plugins that allow the user to include advanced content like Google Maps to the menu. It provides an amazing menu for all devices and features your personal photos and images. There’s room for complexity by integration of third-party widgets into the menu.
The plugin is widely used and rated Number 1 on CodeCanyon with over 75,000 sales, easy to learn, and install and supports over 50 style combos.
Features:
- Adds images easily
- Adds preferred custom contents and widgets
- Allows organization of men
- Has over 50 icons that can be attached to any menu item
- AJAX saving feature ensures peppers documentation and storage keeping of your works.
- Support advanced content like maps, search bars
One of the advantages of using UberMenu is that, as a premium-based login, you can test the software to purchase the right product.
However, a disadvantage is that it has so many unnecessary menus that become useless eventually. Also, users make a one-time payment during installment without any requests for refunds. Installing UberMenu Plugin will permit you to add items automatically to the menu.
5. QuadMenu Plugin
QuadMenu Plugin is one of the latest plugins for WordPress, which allows integration of menus in your theme project. It lets you create your menu simplistically for a variety of themes.
There are several available menus in this plugin like the main menu and carousel.
Visual is essential in this plugin as you can change your choice of colors and fonts.
QuadMenu supports developers with a professional version that has a variety of added menus and premium licenses.
Features:
- Menu works well on mobile devices
- Supports Google Fonts and animation styles
- Unlimited number of themes for your website
- Allows menu integration to dine either manually or automatically
- You can include more than just menus in this plugin. You can add Icons, tabs, register, and social menus.
- Dead and Drop panel that allows you to manage your mega menu, add new elements and columns.
QuadMenu has a variety of menu options not limited to Mega Menus alone; you can add other menu options like social or carousel. Plus, the premium version comes with a lifetime warranty.
6. Superfly Responsive Plugin
Superfly Responsive Plugin is one of the best WordPress plugins that are popular because they can make beautiful vertical menus. Also, they have unique side menus that will make your design or work stand out.
Social media buttons, images, and full-screen mode are features of this plugin. The vertical menus are suitable for mobile visitors, and you get to slide your way through using the navigation menu.
You can fully customize the plugins with a variety of colors, fonts, and icons, and it supports Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. You can add social links also. Superfly works well on mobile versions.
Features:
- You can switch old or boring themes for creative vertical ones
- Users have a full screen view to avoid distraction when in use
- Animations are powered by C223; they are lovely and unique when compared to other plugins
- Short codes can be used to adjust errors in content areas
- Fully responsive
- Variety of colors and fonts to choose from
- Budget-Friendly.
If you are a business owner that likes the vertical style, this plugin is for you.
Wrapping Up: The Best WordPress Menu Plugins
The WordPress menu plugins listed above are some of the best plugins you can use in WordPress, and after reading, you will find a favorite that is suitable for your site.
Probably, you’ve noticed some plugins that perform the same functions, here’s a comparative analysis of three Best WordPress Plugins — UberMenu, WordPress Mega Menu, and QuadMenu.
These three WordPress menu plugins have similar functions, versatility, effectiveness, and customization options. Remember the speed of a plugin depends on its loaded content. However, the three plugins work perfectly and don’t slow the page downloading.
One major difference is the issue of responsiveness. No doubt, all three are responsive. However, QuadMenu has a higher degree because it is specially programmed for smartphones and adapted on Desktop computers.
Mega Menu can be used perfectly by a beginner with no knowledge of programming, unlike QuadMenu and UberMenu, which have PHP, API and JavaScript developer tools. To use this, you might need to have basic knowledge about programming or use of short codes.
Also, all three have an easy to use interface but with slight differences. For Mega Menu, the interface is super simple and basic. QuadMenu has a little advanced interface, while UberMenu needs careful study and understanding before it can be used, especially for a beginner.
No matter which WordPress menu plugin you pick from the list, they are all great options and offer everything you need to get started building custom menus for your WordPress website.
Have you used any of the WordPress menu plugins we’ve mentioned? Or perhaps you’re using a WordPress menu plugin that isn’t mentioned here and want to tell us about it? Let us know in the comments below.