PluginSift

Modern Footnotes vs Footnotes Made Easy (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Modern Footnotes

Modern Footnotes

4.8(32)

6.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 9 months ago
View Modern Footnotes
VS
Footnotes Made Easy

Footnotes Made Easy

4.6(38)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 months ago
View Footnotes Made Easy

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Modern Footnotes has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 32 reviews) and leads in active installations (6.0K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Modern Footnotes has accumulated 113K+ total downloads while Footnotes Made Easy has 55K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.8/5Modern Footnotes
◄
Footnotes Made Easy4.6/5
Total Reviews
32Modern Footnotes
►
Footnotes Made Easy38
Active Installs
6.0K+Modern Footnotes
◄
Footnotes Made Easy2.0K+
Total Downloads
113K+Modern Footnotes
◄
Footnotes Made Easy55K+
Support Resolution
N/AModern Footnotes
Footnotes Made EasyN/A
Last Updated
9 months agoModern Footnotes
►
Footnotes Made Easy4 months ago
First Released
2017Modern Footnotes
Footnotes Made Easy2017
Age
9 yearsModern Footnotes
Footnotes Made Easy9 years
WP Requires
4.6+Modern Footnotes
Footnotes Made Easy4.6+
PHP Requires
false+Modern Footnotes
Footnotes Made Easy7.4+
Business Model
FreeModern Footnotes
Footnotes Made EasyFree
Latest Version
1.4.20Modern Footnotes
Footnotes Made Easy3.1.0

Rating Breakdown

Modern Footnotes

4.8/5(32 reviews)
5
91%
4
3%
3
0%
2
6%
1
0%

Footnotes Made Easy

4.6/5(38 reviews)
5
87%
4
3%
3
0%
2
3%
1
8%

Recent Reviews

Modern Footnotes Reviews

by andorel

Good but incomplete

It’s make the job in a very (to much ?) simple way. The code [mfn_list class=modern-footnotes-list] is very usefull to print the footnote list wherever we want !!! also the compatibility with old edit

by efrap

Works very well

This plugin works well and is easy to use. The footnote list shortcode is useful for custom templates.

by rene-michaels

Simple and Effective

Works perfectly on desktop and mobile.

Footnotes Made Easy Reviews

by Greg Taylor

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

by JCV

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

by yolandal

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Modern Footnotes or Footnotes Made Easy more popular?
Modern Footnotes has 6.0K+ active installations while Footnotes Made Easy has 2.0K+. Modern Footnotes is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Modern Footnotes or Footnotes Made Easy?
Modern Footnotes has a 4.8/5 rating from 32 reviews, while Footnotes Made Easy has a 4.6/5 rating from 38 reviews.
Are Modern Footnotes and Footnotes Made Easy free?
Modern Footnotes is free and Footnotes Made Easy is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Modern Footnotes or Footnotes Made Easy?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Modern Footnotes was last updated 9 months ago and Footnotes Made Easy was last updated 4 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.