Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu
by Atakan Au · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 11 other plugins · 2.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows you to automatically add hierarchic categories in WordPress Navigation Menus.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 87/100
no flags
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
+18%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “menu”, “navigation” and “woocommerce category” for “categories”, “sub menu” and “navigation menus”. “menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “categories” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “navigation” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sub menu” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “woocommerce category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “navigation menus” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
87 health vs 56 average across 5,902 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.6%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 35.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,194 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 3 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 76 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 13 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
44
Momentum
Holding steady
-0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
34%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.0
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| automatically | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| category menu your tag | #2 | #4 | up 1 |
| categories | #8 | #13 | up 1 |
| sub menu | #8 | #14 | 0 |
| top categories | #5 | #12 | down 3 |
| collaboration | #11 | #16 | down 1 |
| navigation menus | #17 | #17 | 0 |
| woocommerce menu your tag | #23 | #20 | 0 |
| categories in page | #11 | #19 | up 2 |
| menu shortcode | #20 | #22 | up 3 |
| category navigation | #12 | #17 | up 1 |
| category menu woocommerce | #12 | #20 | down 2 |
| top menu | #23 | #22 | 0 |
| category menus | #14 | #22 | 0 |
| page categories | #23 | #23 | down 2 |
| woocommerce categories | #24 | #21 | — |
| menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| navigation your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| woocommerce category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
39 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 16 listed. 23 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “menu”, “navigation” and “woocommerce category” for “categories”, “sub menu” and “navigation menus”. “menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “categories” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “navigation” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sub menu” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “woocommerce category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “navigation menus” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.7K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v2.1.0 · 14 Jul 2026
13
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 12% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 10 months ago; the previous band took 14 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ invokerkael1.1y ago
This plugin add hidden link: atakanau[.]wordpress[.]com in file code includes/class-auto-hierarchic-category-menu.php row 285. Please check and report this This topic was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by invokerkael.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lagiulsss1.3y ago
I took me a bit to make it work the way I wanted with all the subcategories, but after that has been working very well. Don’t need to worry to edit the front-end menu if you change name or delete in back-end, it will automatically do it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aaronlkh2.1y ago
Had been spending a lot of time adding menu items manually from my hierarchical categories. Still not too late to save time from now on. And it works great with Otography theme. Thank you developer! This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by aaronlkh.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ringdal2.8y ago
What a wonderful plugin. I am handicapped and my right arm is not working well, but I own over 50 websites and have built all of them myself. Working with wrong hand (I am right handed and damaged right arm in accident) i.e. left hand takes time. I love everything automatic which makes my life easier. That is why I loooove this plugin. 🙂 Million thanks to the developer(s).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mauriciogonzalez3.1y ago
Simple plugin that covers a functionality missed in both in WP and WooCommerce.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ivana3.1y ago
If you have many product or post categories this plugin is a real gem! Easy to configure, and if any help needed Atakan is greatly supportive. Thank you, cheers
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zebullon3.3y ago
This plugin is the only one for include categories in menus. I put 4 stars out of 5 because it remains to clarify the documentation or to include a syntax generator directly on the wordpress site… Regards
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rezat19943.7y ago
When we disable the woocommerce hierarchical option, the plugin still generates the category links as hierarchical mode. I think on line 248 of class-auto-hierarchic-category-menu.php file, the slug param must be passed as “$slug” and not “$slug.‘/’.$category->slug”
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.1.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu <= 2.0.9 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-06-19 CVE-2025-50048 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.0.9 Patched in 2.0.10
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu <= 2.0.7 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-01-30 CVE-2024-13466 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.0.7 Patched in 2.0.8
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu <= 2.0.5 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-09-30 CVE-2024-47365 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.0.5 Patched in 2.0.6
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 0 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows you to automatically add hierarchic categories in WordPress Navigation Menus."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter.
- ! Headings and lists 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 850 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("category menu", "WooCommerce category", "woocommerce menu" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-01-02 3K+ → 2K+ down after 414 days in tier
- 2024-11-14 2K+ → 3K+ up after 46 days in tier
- 2024-09-29 3K+ → 2K+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-09-23 2K+ → 3K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2024-09-21 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-09-20 2K+ → 3K+ up after 275 days in tier
- 2023-12-20 1K+ → 2K+ up after 271 days in tier
- 2023-03-24 900+ → 1K+ up after 2 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Max Mega Menu 300K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Menu Image, Icons made easy 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A - E Exclude Pages 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Flexy Breadcrumb 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A - M Menu Duplicator 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/automatically-hierarchic-categories-in-menu" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Automatically Hierarchic Categories in Menu: 2K+ active installs, 4.6★ (13 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/automatically-hierarchic-categories-in-menu
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