There are several plugins that allow you to create professional mega menus with a high level of customization. But leaving aside the free ones, all effectively fulfill their function, that is creating a mega menu that adapts the site, there are three options that stand out over the competitors.
That why we’ve reviewed three of the best plugins on the market, which are undoubtedly among the TOP 5: Max Mega Menu vs Main Mega Menu vs QuadMenu.
Main Features
These plugins come with a complete collection of options that will surely allow you to make any mega menu you can imagine.
Max Mega Menu
This plugin is programmed impeccably, it highlights the quality of its code. That’s why it works perfectly in most of the themes and does not require manual integration.
On the other hand, it may be necessary to have basic CSS knowledge to adjust the menu and make some design tweaks.
Another distinctive feature of Max Mega Menu is that it offers the possibility of hiding certain menu items according to user roles.
Main Mega Menu
A plugin with not so many configuration options, but very powerful and effective. Undoubtedly the best option for simple mega menus without any special feature.
It comes with a complete collection of over 1,600 icons and about 600 Google fonts.
It has most of the customization options offered by the other plugins and it’s designed to offer a more comfortable and simple experience to users.
It’s possible to do almost everything the same as with the other plugins but in an easier and faster way, although with certain limitations that are not an obstacle when creating simple mega menus.
QuadMenu
QuadMenu is a complete and powerful plugin. It offers many customization and configuration options in a highly intuitive and easy-to-use user interface.
In addition to all the options offered by the other plugins, it’s the only one that allows inserting contents in carousel format within the menu. A striking feature that is ideal for professional Websites and that aim to offer a user experience above average.
QuadMenu is a plugin made by developers for developers. It offers tools for developers that allow modifying the operation of the plugin at will. It uses the same method of hooks used by WP, it’s a very flexible and practical system for those who know how to use it.
Responsiveness
How could it be otherwise, these three plugins are perfectly optimized for all types of devices. They are 100% responsive, which means they work and look perfectly fine on any device.
QuadMenu goes further in this aspect. It’s designed under the concept known as mobile first. This means that, among other advantages, it works better on smartphones that are obsolete or devices with small size screens.
Max Mega Menu and QuadMenu are also designed for touch screens. This has many advantages if we have in mind that every day more and more people use their smartphones to surf the net.
Theme integration
About integration with the themes, first of all, we have to say that it’s impossible for a plugin to be 100% compatible with all the themes out there. Conflicts can always appear, especially if the theme is of poor quality or outdated.
In all cases, it’s possible to perform a manual integration by using shortcodes or by inserting a few lines of code.
For those who don’t have technical knowledge at all, it will only take a little more time to learn some basic concepts, but nothing to be afraid of. It’s just about copying and pasting in the right place.
In Max Mega Menu we could see that thanks to the quality of its code, the integration is automatic in a greater number of themes. However, this plugin requires knowledge of CSS to adjust the final design.
QuadMenu offers a variety of add-ons for automatic integration with some of the most popular themes. Currently, it offers one-click integration for Divi, Astra, Ocean WP, Avada, and Storefront. And the list keeps growing.
But of course, you can always ask for help from the support service, which in all these plugins is excellent. There will always be someone well prepared and willing to help.
Customization
Max Mega Menu has more than 100 customization options, all offered by the other plugins and some more. This seems to be an advantage may not be so much because, among the multitude of options available and when creating the mega menu, it can be somewhat tiring to find the option you are looking for.
QuadMenu and Main Mega Menu also offer a number of similar options, but somehow they have managed to make them more effective. They also have the option to select different fade out / in animations when opening or closing a tab. Something that Max Mega Menu lacks.
Layouts
The three plugins can show the mega menu in different layouts. Horizontal or vertical. With different configurations such as: items on the right or on the left, logo on the menu and others.
The vertical layout is very useful when designing alternative menus to be displayed for example in the sidebar.
The off-canvas layout feature is present only in QuadMenu. This is because it’s a plugin ideally designed for mobile devices. This option is very useful in those cases.
Design
As for the overall design of the mega menus that result from using these plugins, all three can be described as good.
Talking about design is always something relative since it goes to the liking of each user. Although in general there are certain basic rules to follow. And these plugins accomplish all of them.
The final design of the Main Mega Menu can be somewhat rude to the eye, it’s not as sophisticated as the others.
QuadMenu and Max Mega Menu have achieved an impeccable design, applicable to any type of menu that created with these plugins.
User Interface
In Max Mega Menu we find a simple and effective user interface. All the options are very well organized in several sections.
The operation is fast and efficient. We did not find any complaint in the reviews on this point.
Maybe it can be a little complicated at first, but after using the plugin for a while it’s easy to remember where each option is.
Main Mega Menu has an intuitive and easy-to-use user interface. The good thing is that, for those who don’t know the technical aspects of a menu, each option has its description and everything is perfectly explained. It is not necessary to try each option to see what it does.
QuadMenu has managed to perfectly combine the numerous options of customization and configuration in a very user-friendly user interface.
With little work and dedication, you can create really spectacular mega menus in a very effective way and without wasting time trying and testing.
It’s very easy to use. Which means that anyone can use this plugin without any technical knowledge and achieve good results. At the same time, it’s designed for developers with advanced technical knowledge.
Developers tools
The three plugins offer a CSS edit box to adjust the appearance of the mega menu. This is essential for those who have knowledge of CSS styles and want to apply them to the mega menu.
In addition, it’s possible to integrate the plugin manually by using shortcodes or by inserting some lines of code in the right place.
But the best of all is what QuadMenu offers. Something developers will love is the system of hooks that it has. The same method that WordPress uses.
Thanks to the variety of hooks available in this plugin, it’s possible to modify the behavior of the plugin and do practically anything with it, such as modify the default values, hide some of the configuration options, modify the final design and many other things.
As with WP, the hook method is very versatile. It allows interacting with the plugin in many different ways.
Conclusion
Max Mega Menu is quite complete even in its free version, although to get the full potential of this plugin it’s advisable to go for the paid version.
As for Main Mega Menu, it’s a powerful and effective plugin. The only disadvantage is that it has a somewhat rudimentary design. Its simple and effective operation makes it an ideal plugin for websites that do not require a very complex mega menu.
QuadMenu is a plugin that gathers all the features of the other plugins, plus some others. Its distinctive function of inserting content in carousel format is unique for this plugin. There is no other mega menú plugin with this feature.
A highly recommended option for those who are thinking of buying a plugin to customize the menu in WordPress.
Here a comparative table to remember:
Max Mega Menu | Main Menu | QuadMenu | |
---|---|---|---|
Responsive | Yes | Yes | Mobile first |
Touch screen optimized | Yes | No | Yes |
Price | 23 | 15 | 13 |
Extended license | Yes | Yes | Yes |
One click integration | No | No | Yes |
Developers features | No | No | Yes |