David Artiss

Patrick Lumumba

Divi Banks

Stoil Dobreff

Christopher Ocen

vikmark

Milimo Emmanuel

Footnotes Made Easy is a simple but powerful plugin for adding footnotes to your WordPress posts and pages. Wrap any text in double parentheses, and it becomes a footnote; automatically numbered, linked, and displayed at the bottom of your content.
Full documentation is available at <a href="https://docs.altvisewp.com/footnotes-made-easy/" rel="nofollow ugc">docs.altvisewp.com/footnotes-made-easy</a>
Key features:
<ul>
<li>Simple inline syntax — wrap text in <code>(( ))</code> to create a footnote anywhere in a post or page</li>
<li>Combine identical footnotes automatically</li>
<li>Paginated post support with manual start number control</li>
<li>Reference a previous footnote by number using <code>((ref:1))</code></li>
<li>Pretty tooltips — show footnote content on hover using jQuery</li>
<li>Suppress footnotes on specific page types (home, archives, search, feeds)</li>
<li>Exclude footnotes from specific post categories or custom URLs</li>
<li>Dashboard with live usage stats; footnote counts across all posts and pages</li>
<li>Export/import Footnotes Made Easy settings across different sites</li>
<li>Multisite support; network-managed mode or per-subsite override</li>
<li>Compatible with the Classic Editor and the Gutenberg block editor</li>
<li>Lots of configuration options</li>
</ul>
Footnotes Made Easy is a fork of <a href="https://github.com/drzax/wp-footnotes" title="Github - wp-footnotes" rel="nofollow ugc">WP Footnotes</a>, a plugin by Simon Elvery.
For the latest code, planned enhancements and known issues, visit the <a href="https://github.com/altvisewp/footnotes-made-easy/" title="Github" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub page</a>.
<h3>Getting Started</h3>
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bl9p2-lSZMU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
Creating a footnote is simple; wrap your footnote text in double parentheses:
<pre><code>This is a sentence ((and this is your footnote)).
</code></pre>
The footnote will appear at the bottom of your post or page, automatically numbered and linked.
Important: Include a space before your opening double parentheses or the footnote will not work.
<h3>Settings</h3>
The settings page is organised into four tabs:
<ul>
<li>Display — Control footnote identifier style, back-link format, header and footer text, and tooltip behaviour.</li>
<li>Behaviour — Configure combining identical footnotes, back-link position, and processing priority.</li>
<li>Suppress — Choose which page types (home, archives, search, feeds, previews) should not display footnotes. Also suppress by post type and exclude footnotes from specific URLs or post categories</li>
<li>Advanced — Change the opening and closing delimiters.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Paginated Posts</h3>
By default, each page of a paginated post restarts footnote numbering from 1. To maintain a continuous sequence, add a start number tag between each <code></code> marker:
<pre><code>
</code></pre>
Replace <code>5</code> with the number you want the first footnote on that page to start at.
<h3>Referencing</h3>
To reference a previous footnote a second time, you can either repeat the exact same text (recommended — works with the Combine Identical Footnotes option) or use the number reference syntax:
<pre><code>((ref:1))
</code></pre>
Note: number referencing does not work across pages in a paginated post, and risks pointing to the wrong footnote if new footnotes are inserted before it. The exact-text method is more robust.
<h3>Multisite Support</h3>
On WordPress multisite networks, the plugin can be configured from the network admin in two modes:
<ul>
<li>Network managed — all settings controlled centrally; the Footnotes menu is hidden from subsite admins</li>
<li>Subsite override — each subsite admin can manage their own footnote settings independently</li>
</ul>
<h3>Available in 8 Languages</h3>
Footnotes Made Easy is fully internationalised and ready for translation.
Thanks to the following translators:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/dartiss/" rel="nofollow ugc">David Artiss</a>, English (UK)</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/markscottrobson/" rel="nofollow ugc">Mark Robson</a>, English (UK)</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/yayannabelle/" rel="nofollow ugc">Annabelle W</a>, English (UK)</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/maboroshin/" rel="nofollow ugc">maboroshin</a>, Japanese</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/wplmillet/" rel="nofollow ugc">Laurent MILLET</a>, French (France)</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/cansmile/" rel="nofollow ugc">B. Cansmile Cha</a>, Korean</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/danbilabs/" rel="nofollow ugc">danbilabs</a>, Korean</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/danbilabs/" rel="nofollow ugc">denelan</a>, Dutch</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/psmits1567/" rel="nofollow ugc">Peter Smits</a>, Dutch</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/nekojonez/" rel="nofollow ugc">Pieterjan Deneys</a>, Dutch (Belgium)</li>
<li><a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/alexvgrey/" rel="nofollow ugc">Alex Grey</a>, Russian</li>
</ul>
To add a translation, visit the <a href="https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/footnotes-made-easy" title="Translating WordPress" rel="nofollow ugc">Translating WordPress</a> page.

Footnotes Made Easy


Amazing work and great that the developer continued the former footnotes plugin - very much appreciate it. The plugin works like a charm. THANKS!


GREAT


Adding footnotes is really easy, and they have nice links that go back to the footnote in the post.


Makes it really easy to create footnotes


Happy with this plugin as a seamless replacement for an old footnotes plugin that had stopped working with php8.


Works great

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 compliant, which is not. I believe the new owner was the wrong choice.

Plugin not updated anymore

Allows post authors to easily add and manage footnotes in posts and pages.

writerspress

CiteKit is a WordPress citation and footnotes plugin that lets you add APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard citations, generate bibliographies, and manage references across your site.
Add structured in-text citations and footnotes using simple shortcodes like [cite] or Gutenberg blocks. Automatically generate a formatted bibliography at the end of any post using [bibliography] or the Bibliography by CiteKit block.
Create reusable references with custom IDs like [cite id=”who-2024″], or let CiteKit assign them automatically. Citations are linked to your bibliography with numbered markers ([1], [2], etc.) for a clean, academic-style experience.
Use the built-in Reference Library to track, audit, and manage all citations and references across your site. Monitor link status, keep sources up to date, and maintain a consistent, credible content structure.
Perfect for bloggers, publishers, and content creators who want a complete citation, footnotes, and bibliography system inside WordPress.
<h3>Related Citation Tools</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://citekit.com/bibliography-generator/" rel="nofollow ugc">Bibliography Generator</a></li>
<li><a href="https://citekit.com/cite-book-apa/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cite a Book in APA</a></li>
<li><a href="https://citekit.com/cite-youtube-mla/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cite a YouTube Video in MLA</a></li>
<li><a href="https://citekit.com/cite-journal-harvard/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cite a Journal in Harvard</a></li>
<li><a href="https://citekit.com/cite-website-mla/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cite a Website in MLA</a></li>
<li><a href="https://citekit.com/cite-report-ieee/" rel="nofollow ugc">Cite a Report in IEEE</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Features</h3>
Inline Citation, Tooltip & Footnote Formats in Block Editor: Use the CiteKit Citation, Tooltip, and Footnote buttons on the block toolbar to insert and manage inline citations, hover tooltips, and numbered footnotes directly within any paragraph, heading, list, or quote block. Click an existing inline badge to open it for editing, or place your cursor and click the toolbar button to insert a new one — no separate block needed for the inline markers.
Inline [cite] Shortcode with Auto-ID 
Insert citations directly into post content using [cite]. Unique IDs are automatically assigned on first save, or set a custom human-readable ID with [cite id=”who-2024″].
CiteBox — Post-Level Citation Editor 
A dedicated metabox in the post and page editor shows every citation in the current post. Fill in author, title, year, and URL without leaving the editor. Fields save instantly via AJAX and metadata is shared across all posts that reference the same ID.
Bibliography Block & Shortcode 
Insert a formatted, backlinked bibliography anywhere in your content using the native Bibliography by CiteKit block or the [bibliography] shortcode. Entries are ordered by appearance in the post, each with a back-reference to its inline citation, and style and heading are configurable per block or per shortcode.
Manual Bibliography Composition 
Create a standalone bibliography with [bibliography title=”References”] Source 1 ; Source 2 [/bibliography] — ideal for static lists or non-[cite] workflows.
Numbered Footnotes with Hover + List 
Add true footnotes with [footnote]…[/footnote] or the Footnote toolbar button. Each footnote is auto-numbered in order of appearance and renders as a superscript marker with a hover popup. Add [footnotes] or the Footnotes by CiteKit block at the end of your post to render the full numbered list with back-links to each marker. Explicit list mode also supported: [footnotes]Note one; Note two; Note three[/footnotes].
Reference Library 
A central admin page listing every citation used across your site. Citations appear in the library the moment they are inserted into any post or page. See which posts use each reference, sort and filter by status, and manage everything from one place.
Link Health Checker 
Check whether your source URLs are still reachable. Each reference is marked Live, Broken, or Unchecked. Results are saved per citation so you can spot dead links before your readers do.
Multiple Citation Style Support 
Output in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography), Harvard, or IEEE using [bibliography style=”apa|mla|chicago-ad|chicago-nb|harvard|ieee”].
Default Style Setting 
Set your preferred citation style and bibliography heading once in Settings → CiteKit. All [bibliography] shortcodes and Bibliography blocks site-wide use this default unless overridden per post.
Tooltip-Style Inline Notes 
Add inline definitions and asides with [tooltip]…[/tooltip] or the Tooltip toolbar button. For underline-style tooltips, the <code>tip</code> attribute holds the visible inline term and the content between the tags holds the definition shown on hover — e.g. [tooltip tip=”FOSS”]Free and Open Source Software[/tooltip]. Default style is dashed; use style=”dotted” for a dotted underline. For superscript-symbol markers, use style=”” (or †, ‡, §, ¶, or any short string) where the shortcode content becomes the popup: [tooltip style=”“]Aside text here[/tooltip].
<h3>CiteKit Blocks & Formats</h3>
Bibliography by CiteKit — available in the CiteKit category in the block inserter. Renders a formatted, backlinked bibliography for the current post. Configure citation style and heading in the block sidebar.
Footnotes by CiteKit — available in the CiteKit category in the block inserter. Renders the numbered footnote list collected from [footnote] shortcodes or CiteKit Footnote toolbar tokens earlier in the post. Place at the end of your post. Configure heading in the block sidebar. Distinct from WordPress core’s built-in Footnotes block (added in WP 6.3) — CiteKit’s version adds hover popups on markers, explicit list mode, custom heading, and integration with the rest of the CiteKit system.
Citation Format — the CiteKit Citation button on the block toolbar. Click an existing citation badge to open its reference details for editing, or place your cursor and click the button to insert a new one. Enter the citation ID and reference details in the block options panel.
Tooltip Format — the CiteKit Tooltip button on the block toolbar. Choose a style (dashed underline, dotted underline, or symbol marker), enter the Term (the visible inline word) and the Definition (shown on hover). Click an existing tooltip badge to edit.
Footnote Format — the CiteKit Footnote button on the block toolbar. Enter your footnote text; a superscript number is inserted at the cursor and the text appears both on hover and in the Footnotes list at the end of the post. Click an existing footnote badge to edit.
<h3>CiteKit Shortcodes</h3>
<h4>Inline Citations</h4>
<ul>
<li>[cite] — Inline citation with auto-generated UUID</li>
<li>[cite id=”custom-id”] — Inline citation with a user-defined ID</li>
</ul>
<h4>Bibliography</h4>
<ul>
<li>[bibliography] — Auto-generated bibliography for the current post</li>
<li>[bibliography style=”mla” title=”Article Sources”] — Override style and heading per post</li>
<li>[bibliography style=”chicago-ad”] — Override style only; heading uses your site default</li>
<li>[bibliography] Smith, 2026; John Jacobs, The Red Roof, 2021 [/bibliography] — Manual entry list</li>
</ul>
<h4>Tooltips</h4>
<ul>
<li>[tooltip tip=”Term”]Definition[/tooltip] — Dashed underline tooltip (default): <code>tip</code> is the visible term, content is the popup definition</li>
<li>[tooltip style=”dotted” tip=”Term”]Definition[/tooltip] — Dotted underline variant</li>
<li>[tooltip style=”*”]Popup content[/tooltip] — Symbol-marker tooltip (also: †, ‡, §, ¶, or any short string) — content becomes the popup</li>
</ul>
<h4>Footnotes</h4>
<ul>
<li>[footnote]Note text[/footnote] — Numbered superscript footnote with hover popup; numbered in order of appearance per post</li>
<li>[footnotes] — Render the full numbered footnote list at this position (usually end of post)</li>
<li>[footnotes title=”Notes”] — Render the list with a custom heading</li>
<li>[footnotes]Note one; Note two; Note three[/footnotes] — Render an explicit numbered list without using [footnote] markers</li>
</ul>
Supported bibliography styles: apa, mla, chicago-ad, chicago-nb, harvard, ieee

CiteKit – Footnotes, Tooltips, Citations, Bibliography & References Manager

Add citations, numbered footnotes, tooltips, and bibliographies to your WordPress content. Manage all your references in one place and generate APA, M …

Footnotes Made Easy vs CiteKit – Footnotes, Tooltips, Citations, Bibliography & References Manager