Better Categories
by cmsexpert · Uncategorized
This plugin orgnizes the layout of categories boxes in the post add/edit screens and will work for all post types in your website.
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
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
20+
≈25 estimated
Momentum
+10%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “categories” and “category” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 20 of 2.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,785 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.5.24, well behind 7.1.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2205 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.5.24; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 3 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2205 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| categories your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| category fold your tag | Not checked yet | ||
| category organizer your tag | Not checked yet | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “categories” and “category” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 65 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #25,400 to #28,300, alongside the other plugins at 20+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
6.0y ago
latest release · v1.2 · 20 Oct 2020
2
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “20+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 12 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 12 Jan 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ LordDunvegan8.2y ago
I could not survive without this plug-in as I have thousands of categories to manage. Will there be a version that is compatible with Gutenberg? Many thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dmatamales9.3y ago
This works with the bulk edit function, and it’s implemented on a low enough level that it even works with other plugins’ implementations of bulk edit, like Media Library Assistant’s bulk tagging new media feature. It also works with custom taxonomies. Seems stable and well done, and it definitely makes things easier for extensive taxonomies or taxonomies with slight redundancies or similar sections. It’s much quicker than scrolling about and it eliminates most categorization mistakes during entry because you’re forced to drill down through the hierarchy, so you can’t mess up and choose the wrong term. The only feature I would add is perhaps an icon that changes when a section is expanded, rather than the static “up-down triangles” icon. And while I do appreciate the “it just works” nature of this plugin, perhaps it would be nice to have the ability to switch the feature off for individual taxonomies. Other than that, great plugin providing a much needed feature that should be part of WordPress core!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Maurice19729.5y ago
I was looking for a plugin, but could find the right one. But this plugin has just the right settings and options for me. Installment and use is very simple. Plugin works great for me.
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugin orgnizes the layout of categories boxes in the post add/edit screens and will work for all post..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 409 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "category fold", "category organizer" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-11-19 30+ → 20+ down after 115 days in tier
- 2025-07-27 40+ → 30+ down after 122 days in tier
- 2025-03-27 30+ → 40+ up after 52 days in tier
- 2025-02-03 40+ → 30+ down after 312 days in tier
- 2024-03-28 50+ → 40+ down after 81 days in tier
- 2024-01-07 40+ → 50+ up after 24 days in tier
- 2023-12-14 50+ → 40+ down after 244 days in tier
- 2023-04-14 60+ → 50+ down after 192 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).
-
PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Media Library Categories 20K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A - R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
- C Custom Recent Posts Widget 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Advanced Categories Widget 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D - T Taxonomy Checklist Tree 400+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Better Categories into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/better-categories" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Better Categories — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Better Categories: 20+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/better-categories
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