Easy Footnotes
View on WordPress.orgScores higher than 74% of indexed plugins
About
Easy Footnotes lets you quickly and easily add footnotes throughout your WordPress posts using a simple shortcode in the text editor.
What It Does
Easy Footnotes lets you insert footnotes into WordPress posts and pages using a straightforward shortcode in the classic editor. Footnotes appear as numbered references, and hovering over them reveals the footnote content as a tooltip. It is purpose-built for adding source citations, clarifications, or tangential notes without cluttering the main reading flow.
Who It's For
This plugin fits academic bloggers, researchers, legal and medical writers, and literary publications that need to attribute sources or add detailed clarifications without breaking the reading experience. It also suits non-profits and financial analysts producing long-form, evidence-backed reports. Anyone writing content where credibility depends on visible references will get value from it.
Who Should Skip It
If your site relies on the block editor (Gutenberg) and you want native block-based footnote controls, this shortcode-first plugin is likely a poor fit. Casual bloggers or simple marketing pages that do not need citations or detailed sidenotes will not benefit from adding it.
The Bottom Line
Easy Footnotes is a focused, well-rated plugin that does one thing well and was updated recently, earning a Quality Score of 66.89/100. Its main weaknesses are the shortcode-only workflow, a small user base of 8,000 installs, and a complete absence of public support threads, which makes long-term reliability harder to verify. It is a solid choice for citation-heavy writers who are comfortable with shortcodes, but block-editor purists may prefer Modern Footnotes or Footnotes Made Easy.
Related Plugins
Pick this if you want a similarly simple footnote plugin and prefer a tool with a slightly higher overall quality score and 2,000 active installs.
Choose this instead if you have 6,000-install scale validation and want a more contemporary approach, though its quality score is slightly lower at 65.43.
Pick this if your real goal is controlling post excerpts and read-more links rather than footnotes.
Choose this only if your content needs interactive maps; it is not a footnote alternative despite appearing in the same category.
Pick this if you want a broader content-organization tool, but note it has only 1,000 installs and a lower quality score.