Case study: WP Data Tables vs Ninja Tables on a 90-row comparison page

Case study: WP Data Tables vs Ninja Tables on a 90-row comparison page

A VPN review site had one giant 90-row comparison page. Visitors couldn't find anything; the page ranked but didn't convert. They rebuilt it twice.

WP Data Tables
Pros: handles huge datasets, filters, server-side sorting
Cons: ~$59 license, heavier JS, steeper setup

Ninja Tables
Pros: lighter, friendlier editor, free tier usable
Cons: chokes on very large tables, fewer filter types

Result: adding column sort + a 3-filter bar (price, devices, logging policy) lifted affiliate clicks 24% on the page either way. WP Data Tables handled the 90 rows smoothly; Ninja Tables lagged on mobile scroll past ~50 rows.

Gotcha nobody mentions: sortable tables with client-side JS hide rows from Googlebot if you lazy-render — they nearly deindexed half the table. Server-side rendering of all rows fixed it.

My pick: WP Data Tables for big datasets that must stay crawlable; Ninja Tables under ~40 rows for speed and simplicity.

Bottom line: filters added 24% clicks — but render every row server-side or you'll hide your content from Google.