With the Gutenberg update, WordPress has tried to make its users’ lives easier. Shifting to a new editor based on blocks, WordPress has replaced the old Classic editor.
The new editor has come up with a default ‘Table’ block. It lets you add tables to your WordPress posts/pages. But the problem is, it’s very basic. You cannot make advanced tables with the block.
To add advanced and dynamic tables in WordPress, you need to use a separate plugin for that.
There are a handful number of WordPress table plugins out there. But not all of them are designed for the Gutenberg editor. Here I’ll be sharing a list of 6 best Gutenberg Tables Plugins.
Let’s get started.
1. WP Table Builder
WP Table Builder is a brand new ‘Drag & Drop’ WordPress Table Plugin. It makes it insanely easy to create dynamic and responsive tables in WordPress.
You can create any type of tables like comparison tables, product list tables, pricing tables, etc. The drag and drop interface has 5 elements – Text, Image, List, Button, and Star Rating.
Though the plugin doesn’t come up with a Gutenberg block, it works seamlessly with the new Gutenberg Editor. You can add the table in Gutenberg editor by inserting the shortcode.
Another interesting thing about the plugin is, it has a cell management mode that allows you to add and remove rows and columns. You can also merge and split cells.
2. Advanced Gutenberg
Advanced Gutenberg comes from the folks over JoomUnited which is an enhancement over the default table block. It provides you with several useful features, and it’s completely free.
This plugin offers a whole array of different blocks; out of which the ‘Advanced Table’ block is what we are looking forward.
The plugin allows you to control, which blocks users have access. You can effectively show tables to a certain type of audience and block it from rest, giving you more power to control what information you want to offer.
Once you install the plugin, you will find an additional section called Advanced Gutenberg on your dashboard. Clicking on it, you will be prompted to create a profile and the type of users who can use this profile. Once you have set your profile, you can add a table to your page using that profile.
What makes it different from the default table block?
- Custom Colour Options: You can set your background, border and text color.
- Different Border Styles: You are provided with six different border styling designs.
3. WP Table Manager
Coming from the same developer, WP Table Manager is another powerful plugin. It is jam-packed with features that act as a one-stop-solution to all your requirements and more. The best part about this plugin is its flexibility; you can create any tables from pricing tables to comparison tables with ease.
Loaded with several pre-built themes that can help you out with getting your design executed easily.
If you have dealt with spreadsheets previously, using the interface would come easy to you. To edit a cell, you have to click on the cell and edit it with the editor. It follows the spreadsheet design; the plugin offers features like:
- You can import and export Excel spreadsheets. So you can easily display your spreadsheets on the website by just exporting it to the plugin.
- You can do basic cell calculation like SUM, AVG, ADD etc.
Other standout features include:
- Real-time preview of the table changes.
- You don’t have to worry about saving data; it saves it automatically.
- Responsive in design.
- Generate charts from the table.
You can easily add it to your Gutenberg editor. Just do a simple search for WP Table and a widget with the name of WP Table Manager will pop-up. Alongside WP Table Manager chart also comes up, which as the name suggests, gives you the ability to add charts.
After that, you can click on the table, and it will load a table right on your screen.
4. League Table
Unlike some of the plugins present on the list, League Table is only available as a paid plugin. But at $23 it is worth a steal. Once you purchase it, you get six months of support for the plugin, which you can even extend it for a year. Also, one of the major selling points is its customizing options (there are 135 of those!); League table can quickly cater to the different table needs.
As with WP Table Manager, if you know the workaround with excel, this plugin will come in easy for you. Even if you don’t, the plugin is designed as such that you can easily grasp its working and start building your tables. If you are working with tables in your tools like Google Sheets, you can easily import it to your website without the need of starting it from scratch.
One of the unique features is that of a multi-site installation. So if you are connected to a network, you can easily have its functionality across different websites.
5. wpDataTables
wpDataTables offers a free and a paid version of the plugin. The free version strips away many functionalities like importing tables from Google Spreadsheets, no excel-like editing, a responsive mode for tablets not available and limiting rows to 150. But if you are looking for building straightforward tables on some of your pages, the lite version would suffice.
The premium version gives you support for handling more data, tables which you can edit and most importantly responsive tables.
Some of the standout features include:
- Report builder tool add-on, which can help you create Doc files straight from your WordPress website.
- It offers Responsive tables, which looks amazing on mobile and tablet devices.
- Front-end tables look the same as that of back-end where you put your data. This feature makes creating the table easier.
- Multiple database support: This is the only WordPress plugin which can display data from MySQL and MS SQL.
6. Ninja Tables
One of the most powerful plugins present on the list, Ninja Tables, is amazingly fast to load. Tables load fast on the web pages and don’t affect its loading time. Not only on the front-end but at the back-end as well. The back-end is built on technologies such as VueJs which makes the entire process of creating tables and other functions like importing data, buttery smooth.
Why should you go for Ninja Tables?
- You can import your tables from other plugins like TablePress, Ultimate Tables and Data Tables Generator.
- WooCommerce integration: It is great for an e-commerce website. You can load up your products and compare them through tables.
- You can upload media into tables like images and videos.
- Conditional formatting: You can set some conditions and color the rows and columns accordingly.
Both a free and paid version is available. The free version comes with enough features to get most of the jobs done, but the paid version gives you more room to tweak your tables. The paid version comes for $39 for one site.
7. TablePress
Keeping the best for the last, TablePress is one of the highest-rated table plugins on the marketplace. It is simple to use and configure, and you can get started in minutes.
As with some of the other plugins on the list you can edit it in a spread-sheet style editor straight from your dashboard. What’s best is that it supports multiple types of data which you can put up in your table.
TablePress is a free plugin but without the advanced functionalities like row and column filtering, responsive design, etc. For them, you need to install add-ons which are mostly free. Also, you are provided with a host of different add-ons to get your needs covered. The best part being you get to keep which features you want specifically and not keep the ones who won’t come in use for you.
Once your table is created, you can easily put it in any of your page or post. You can add TablePress through short-codes in Gutenberg.
Conclusion
Often websites need tables to present data in simpler and efficient ways. But as the website owner, your requirement may vary. Sometimes you need to get done with few tables on some of your posts and pages.
While for bigger companies and especially for e-commerce companies, you might require tables with advanced capabilities. So here we jot down some of the best WordPress table plugins out there guaranteed to solve your needs.
TablePress is not gutenbergy at all, it has no blocks and knows nothing about blocks.