10 Best Shortcode in Menus Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Shortcode in Menus has 50,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Shortcode in Menus
- 1
Widgets in Menu
Closest matchWidgets in Menu for WordPress
4.8 (21) 8,000+ active installsAllows you to add Widgets in WordPress Navigation Menus
Shares the custom link, menus tags on WordPress.org. 8,000+ installs against 50,000+, no update since June 27, 2018.
- 2
4.5 (37) 10,000+ active installsFully automatic sidebar menus.
Shares the menus tag on WordPress.org. About a quarter of the installs, last updated 14 days ago.
- 3
4.9 (219) 70,000+ active installsHide custom menu items based on user roles.
Shares the menus tag on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, rated 4.9 against 4.7, last updated March 26, 2026.
- 4
4.8 (24) 7,000+ active installsAllow and control Editor and Shop Manager access to the menus, widgets and appearance menu, plus other menus and adminbar items.
Shares the menus tag on WordPress.org. 7,000+ installs against 50,000+, no update since June 2, 2021.
- 5
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility
5.0 (1,278) 80,000+ active installsShow/hide menu items to logged in users, logged out users or specific user roles. Display logged in user details in menu. Add a logout link to menu.
Shares the menus tag on WordPress.org. About 1.6 times the installs, rated 5.0 against 4.7, last updated May 23, 2026.
- 6
5.0 (20) 5,000+ active installsAdd navigation menu field type to Advanced Custom Fields
Shares the menus tag on WordPress.org. 5,000+ installs against 50,000+, no update since June 10, 2025.
- 7
Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything
4.9 (227) 100,000+ active installsCreate custom "Shortcodes" easily for HTML, JavaScript, CSS code snippets and use the shortcodes within posts, pages & widgets
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 2 times the installs, rated 4.9 against 4.7, last updated August 1, 2026.
- 8
Shortcodes Ultimate
Paid version availableShortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements
4.9 (5,924) 400,000+ active installsAdd 50+ shortcodes with live preview for tabs, accordions, buttons, FAQs, sliders and boxes. Works in Block Editor and Classic Editor.
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 8 times the installs, rated 4.9 against 4.7, last updated July 24, 2026.
- 9
Display Posts – Easy lists, grids, navigation, and more
4.8 (164) 80,000+ active installsAdd a listing of content on your website using a simple shortcode. Filter the results by category, author, and more.
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 1.6 times the installs, rated 4.8 against 4.7, no update since October 14, 2024.
- 10
4.2 (23) 200,000+ active installsMW WP Form is shortcode base contact form plugin. This plugin have many features. For example you can use many validation rules, inquiry data saving, …
Shares the shortcode tag on WordPress.org. About 4 times the installs, last updated 11 days ago.
Switching from Shortcode in Menus: common questions
What is the best alternative to Shortcode in Menus?
Widgets in Menu is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 8,000+ active installs with a 4.8 out of 5 rating.
Which Shortcode in Menus alternative has the most users?
Shortcodes Ultimate, with 400,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Shortcode in Menus alternative is rated highest?
User Menus, rated 5.0 out of 5 by 1,278 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Shortcode in Menus alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Shortcode in Menus score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Shortcode in Menus on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Widgets in Menu is the closest match to Shortcode in Menus by the data we track, and Shortcodes Ultimate has the widest reach with 400,000+ active installs. MW WP Form shipped the most recent release, on August 27, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.