Footnotes Made Easy vs FD Footnotes Plugin (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Footnotes Made Easy has a higher user rating (4.6/5 from 38 reviews) and leads in active installations (2.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Footnotes Made Easy has accumulated 55K+ total downloads while FD Footnotes Plugin has 56K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Footnotes Made Easy | FD Footnotes Plugin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | ◄ | 4.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 38 | ◄ | 21 |
| Active Installs | 2.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 55K+ | ► | 56K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 9 years ago |
| First Released | 2017 | 2008 | |
| Age | 9 years | 18 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.6+ | 2.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.1.0 | 1.36 |
Rating Breakdown
Footnotes Made Easy
FD Footnotes Plugin
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Footnotes Made Easy averaged approximately 13 daily downloads while FD Footnotes Plugin averaged 6.
Recent Reviews
Footnotes Made Easy Reviews
Great Plugin
Very easy to set up and understand. Makes creating useful, interactive footnotes a total breeze. I found I did not have to leave a space after the last character before the double parentheses for a fo
Plugin not updated anymore
This plugin was great. Then the original developer got busy and passed it to another developper, who in months hasn’t fixed small bugs that users takes the time to report, claims to be PHP 8.2 complia
What do I do with all my footnotes now?
Hello David, I’m sorry to hear you had to discontinue this plugin. But I have a problem now, as I’ve used footnotes on several of my blogs, the code is now shown in the text which gives a lot of clutt
FD Footnotes Plugin Reviews
Simple plugin still works Sep 2018
We’ve been using this plugin for maybe 6 years or more. It is now September 2018, and the plugin has been apparently abandoned. But apparently the code was good enough that it is still working flawles
Good, but currently “abandoned”
Would be five stars, except my Wordfence security plugin just notified me today that it appears FD Footnotes is “abandoned” (updated June 6, 2016, tested to WP 4.3.16). I hope the developer does what
Easy to use and looking good
Using it on all my websites, one of my favourite plugins in order to keep content not really belonging to the post separated, but still mentioning it. Edtit in 10/2020: Although not maintained since 2
More Footnotes Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Footnotes Made Easy and FD Footnotes Plugin
Easy Footnotes lets you quickly and easily add footnotes throughout your WordPress posts using a simple shortcode in the text editor.
Add inline footnotes to your posts. On desktop, the footnotes will appear as tooltips. On mobile, the footnote will expand beneath the text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Footnotes Made Easy or FD Footnotes Plugin more popular?
Which has better ratings — Footnotes Made Easy or FD Footnotes Plugin?
Are Footnotes Made Easy and FD Footnotes Plugin free?
Which plugin has better support — Footnotes Made Easy or FD Footnotes Plugin?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.