Best WordPress Accordion Plugins: 5 Options When the Native Block Isn’t Enough

Compare 5 real WordPress accordion plugins against the new native Accordion block, with real pricing, requirements, and setup steps for each.

Sajil Memon

September 13, 2026

WordPress 6.9 shipped a native Accordion block late last year, built from Accordion, Accordion Item, Accordion Heading, and Accordion Panel sub-blocks using the semantic details and summary HTML tags. For a plain FAQ list, that block is genuinely enough now, and you do not need a plugin for it. This post compares five plugins worth reaching for once you need something the core block does not do: automatic FAQ schema, an exclusive open-one-at-a-time mode, icon libraries, or ready-made design presets. Short version: PlexBlocks Accordion is the free pick if schema markup matters, Lightweight Accordion is the leanest if you want close to zero page weight, and Easy Accordion is the most established option if you also run Elementor or the Classic editor somewhere on the same site.

What WordPress’s Native Accordion Block Already Covers

Before picking a plugin, it is worth knowing what you are replacing. The core Accordion block lets you nest any other block, paragraphs, images, buttons, columns, inside a panel, reorder items, and apply a shared style across an accordion group. It renders with real details/summary markup, which is accessible and crawlable by default. What it does not do, as of the current release: there is no built-in toggle to auto-generate FAQPage JSON-LD structured data, no documented exclusive mode that closes other panels when one opens, no bundled icon library beyond basic open and closed indicators, and no pre-built design presets, so styling beyond spacing and color takes custom CSS. Those four gaps are exactly what the plugins below are built to close, and each one closes a different subset of them.

Plugin	Best for	Price	Last updated
Easy Accordion	Teams running Gutenberg, Elementor, and Classic on the same site	Freemium, Pro from $29/year	Aug 20, 2026
Lightweight Accordion	Sites that want close to zero JavaScript weight	Free	Sep 9, 2026
Advanced Accordion Block	Sites that also want a matching tabs block	Freemium, Pro price disclosed at checkout, bundle from $199/year	Aug 27, 2026
Easy Accordion Block	Accessibility-first setups on a tight budget	Freemium, Pro from $29/year	Sep 7, 2026
PlexBlocks Accordion	Free automatic FAQ schema without a paid tier	Free	Jul 13, 2026

Easy Accordion

Easy Accordion by ShapedPlugin is the oldest and most widely installed plugin in this comparison, and it is built differently from the rest: rather than a single Gutenberg block, it is a full accordion and FAQ builder that works across the block editor, Elementor, the Classic editor, and most popular page builders on the same install. It ships with a library of ready-made design templates you can drop in and edit rather than starting from a blank accordion, and its own listing calls out an AI-assisted FAQ generator among its paid-tier features.

Price: Freemium, Pro from $29/year (single site)
Requires: WordPress 5.9+, PHP 7.4+
Last updated: August 20, 2026

Setup: install and activate it from Plugins > Add New, then look for the new Easy Accordion menu item in the dashboard sidebar. From there you pick a starting template from the design library, then either write your FAQ items by hand or use the plugin’s own block or shortcode to place the finished accordion in a post or page.

The tradeoff is that it is a universal tool first and a native Gutenberg block second, so its settings surface is broader than a purpose-built block plugin, and the AI FAQ generator its own description leads with is a paid-plan feature, not part of the free WordPress.org download. If you only ever build in the block editor, that breadth buys you very little; if you have Elementor pages and block-editor pages on the same site, it is one of the few options here that covers both without a second plugin.

Lightweight Accordion

Lightweight Accordion, built by Andy Feliciotti and maintained under SmartWP, takes the opposite approach from Easy Accordion: it skips JavaScript entirely and builds the accordion from the native HTML details tag plus a small CSS file, the plugin’s own listing puts the added page weight at under 1kb.

Price: Free
Requires: WordPress 6.6+, PHP 7.0+
Last updated: September 9, 2026

Setup: after activating, you have two ways to place it. In the block editor, the “Lightweight Accordion” block is listed under the Widgets category in the block inserter, not a dedicated Accordion category, which is easy to miss the first time. The plugin also supports a shortcode syntax directly, for example [lightweight-accordion title="My Accordion"]Content here[/lightweight-accordion], with attributes for opening it by default, changing the heading tag, adding a border, and grouping several accordions so only one stays open at a time.

The honest limitation: FAQ schema is available, but only through the shortcode’s schema="faq" attribute, not as a toggle inside the block’s own sidebar. If you build exclusively with the visual block and never touch a shortcode, you will not find a schema option sitting next to the other block settings the way you would in a plugin built schema-first.

Advanced Accordion Block

Advanced Accordion Block by Spider Themes markets itself as “100% native Gutenberg” and, unlike the others here, ships as a combined accordion and tabs plugin in one install, so you get both interaction patterns from a single settings panel.

Price: Freemium, standalone Pro price not published on its pricing page, bundle option from $199/year
Requires: WordPress 5.7+, PHP 7.4+
Last updated: August 27, 2026

Setup: install and activate from Plugins > Add New, then in any post or page click the block inserter, search “Accordion,” and add the block. The settings panel on the right handles nesting, unlimited accordion levels, and design controls; the description also calls out FAQ schema markup as a built-in feature, not a paid add-on.

Two things worth knowing before you commit. First, if you only need an accordion, you are installing a tabs block alongside it whether you use it or not. Second, when you go looking for the standalone accordion Pro upgrade price, the plugin’s own pricing page does not show a number, it shows a “Buy Now” button that reveals pricing at checkout; the only published figures on that page are for Spider Themes’ bundled “All Plugin Bundle,” which starts at $199/year for their whole toolkit, not the accordion plugin alone.

Easy Accordion Block

Easy Accordion Block, built by Binsaifullah under the GutenbergKits brand, is the newest actively developed plugin in this list and leans hardest into accessibility: real ARIA roles, full keyboard support, and a recent release specifically aimed at fixing duplicate panel IDs when multiple accordions share a page.

Price: Freemium, Pro from $29/year (up to 5 sites)
Requires: WordPress 6.6+, PHP 7.4+
Last updated: September 7, 2026

Setup: install and activate, then edit a post or page, click the block inserter, and search “Accordion.” Type your heading, add whatever content blocks you want inside the panel, images, buttons, columns, and use the “Add Accordion Item” button to add more entries. It also supports nested accordions with separate styling for the inner level and comes with a built-in library of over 130 SVG icons.

The limitation is specific and worth stating plainly: as of its most recent release, both FAQ schema markup and deep-linkable per-item anchor URLs moved into the Pro tier. If either of those two features is the reason you are comparing accordion plugins, the free version of this one will not cover it.

PlexBlocks Accordion

PlexBlocks Accordion is ConicPlex’s own block-editor accordion plugin, and it earns a spot here for one specific reason: it generates FAQPage JSON-LD structured data automatically through a toggle in the block sidebar, at no cost, which is the exact feature that two of the other freemium plugins in this comparison gate behind a paid tier.

Price: Free
Requires: WordPress 6.3+, PHP 7.4+
Last updated: July 13, 2026

Setup: install and activate from Plugins > Add New by searching “PlexBlocks Accordion,” then open any page, post, or template and search the block inserter for “Accordion.” Each panel accepts nested blocks, so paragraphs, images, buttons, and lists can go inside without extra configuration. In the block’s sidebar you can flip on the FAQ Schema toggle, pick between the “Editorial” and “Soft” design presets, choose a plus-minus or custom SVG icon, and adjust colors, border radius, and typography separately for the heading and the panel content.

The plugin uses semantic button elements with correct aria-expanded and aria-controls attributes and full keyboard support, which matters if accessibility is part of why you are looking past the core block in the first place. The honest caveat: this is a version 1.0.0 plugin added to WordPress.org in July 2026, so it does not have the years of production use or the volume of real-world bug reports that Easy Accordion or Lightweight Accordion have behind them.

How to Pick

If you want free, automatic FAQ schema without upgrading to a paid tier, use PlexBlocks Accordion.
If you want the smallest possible page-weight impact and do not mind switching to shortcode syntax for schema, use Lightweight Accordion.
If your site mixes the block editor with Elementor or Classic-editor pages, use Easy Accordion.
If you also need a matching tabs block and can live with checkout-only Pro pricing, use Advanced Accordion Block.
If keyboard accessibility and a large icon library matter most and you are willing to pay for schema and deep links, use Easy Accordion Block.
If your content is a short, simple FAQ list with no schema or styling requirements beyond spacing and color, the core WordPress Accordion block alone is enough, skip the plugin entirely.

FAQ

Does WordPress have a native accordion block now?
Yes. WordPress 6.9 added a core Accordion block built from Accordion, Accordion Item, Accordion Heading, and Accordion Panel sub-blocks, using semantic details and summary HTML markup.

Which accordion plugin adds FAQ schema markup for free?
PlexBlocks Accordion includes an FAQ Schema toggle in its free version. Lightweight Accordion also supports schema, but only through its shortcode syntax rather than a block sidebar option. Easy Accordion Block and Advanced Accordion Block’s standalone Pro tier both gate or emphasize schema as a paid feature.

Will an accordion plugin slow down my WordPress site?
A dedicated block plugin that only loads its assets on pages using the block, which is how most of these are built, adds minimal overhead. Lightweight Accordion goes furthest by skipping JavaScript entirely and relying on the browser’s native details element.

Can I put images or buttons inside an accordion panel?
Yes, with the core block and every plugin compared here. Each accordion panel accepts other WordPress blocks, so a panel can hold a paragraph, an image, a button, or a multi-column layout instead of plain text.

Do I still need a plugin if I am using the WordPress 6.9 native block?
Only if you need something the core block does not provide yet: automatic FAQ schema, a documented exclusive open-one-at-a-time mode, a built-in icon library, or ready-made design presets. For a plain FAQ list with basic styling, the core block is enough on its own.

For a case where none of these off-the-shelf accordion plugins match a specific business requirement, ConicPlex’s Plugin Development team builds that logic directly rather than forcing a workaround. If accordions are part of a bigger block-editor comparison you are working through, we’ve also covered tabs block plugins and table of contents plugins for the same block editor. General WordPress Development work, including block-editor plugin builds like this one, is part of what we do day to day.

Sources

Written by

Sajil Memon

Sajil Memon is a co-founder of ConicPlex and a Senior Full Stack Developer focused on backend work: Node.js, PHP, APIs, and the infrastructure decisions that determine whether a system holds up under real traffic. He’s spent years on the side of a project that doesn’t get demoed, the part that has to keep working after launch. He writes here about the technical tradeoffs in backend architecture, deployment, and data handling that only become obvious once something breaks in production.