Nav Menu Roles vs Shortcode in Menus
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Nav Menu Roles leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #602, ahead of Shortcode in Menus at #764. Nav Menu Roles has the largest install base, roughly 1.4× the next: 70K+ active installs against 50K+ for Shortcode in Menus. Downloads this week: Nav Menu Roles 1,095 and Shortcode in Menus 310. Ratings: Nav Menu Roles 4.9★ from 219 and Shortcode in Menus 4.7★ from 82 reviews.
| Metric | Nav Menu Roles | Shortcode in Menus |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #602 ▬ | #764 ▬ |
| Active installs | 70K+ | 50K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,095 | 310 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (219) | 4.7★ (82) |
| Last updated | Mar 26, 2026 | Feb 10, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.1.3 | 3.5.1 |
| Best rank on record | #601 | #758 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2012 | Sep 2013 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
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- Shortcode in Menus vs Advanced Sidebar Menu
- Shortcode in Menus vs User Menus
- Shortcode in Menus vs WPS Menu Exporter
- Shortcode in Menus vs Contact Form 7 Shortcode Enabler
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Nav Menu Roles or Shortcode in Menus?
By active installs, Nav Menu Roles: 70K+ sites run it against 50K+ for Shortcode in Menus, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 13, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Nav Menu Roles or Shortcode in Menus?
Nav Menu Roles, at #602 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Shortcode in Menus at #764. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Nav Menu Roles or Shortcode in Menus alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.