Category Posts in Custom Menu
by Diana van de Laarschot · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 2 other plugins · 4.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Dynamic menus: List all posts from a category in your menu. Also works for tags, custom taxonomies as well as pages and custom post types.
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 89/100
no flags
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
-1%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “automatic”, “dynamic” and “menu” for “category menu”, “formatting” and “sub menu”. “automatic” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “category menu” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “dynamic” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “formatting” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sub menu” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
89 health vs 56 average across 5,896 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 110.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,186 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 64 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 43 reviews, smoothed to 4.42★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
40
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
23%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| category posts | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| custom menu | #7 | #11 | up 1 |
| submenu your tag | #7 | #7 | 0 |
| category menu | #6 | #8 | 0 |
| category your tag | #17 | #13 | up 2 |
| formatting | #15 | #16 | down 1 |
| exclude category posts | #9 | #11 | down 1 |
| category based posts | #9 | #14 | 0 |
| category post | #9 | #10 | up 1 |
| sub menu | #17 | #17 | up 1 |
| category menus | #11 | #12 | down 3 |
| posts category | #12 | #14 | up 2 |
| automatic menu | #12 | #11 | — |
| menu order | #23 | #17 | up 1 |
| posts by category | #14 | #15 | up 1 |
| custom post types menu active | #14 | #18 | down 1 |
| display posts from category | #14 | #15 | — |
| list category posts | #14 | #17 | up 4 |
| taxonomies menu | #14 | #11 | 0 |
| changelog | #24 | #17 | down 2 |
| automatic your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| dynamic your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| menu your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
134 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 101 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 “automatic”, “dynamic” and “menu” for “category menu”, “formatting” and “sub menu”. “automatic” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “category menu” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “dynamic” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “formatting” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “menu” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sub menu” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.3K · 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
2mo ago
latest release · v3.0.7 · 28 Aug 2026
12
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 62% 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 18 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 Sep 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ nikischin2.4y ago
Working version removed from archive. Super annoying.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ weblwp3.3y ago
I suspect version 1.4.0 with the “Split Free and Premium version” makes it unusable (without notice).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ samuelashbrook4.2y ago
This plugin is incredibly useful!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ philipsacht5.0y ago
For reasons I cannot understand, WordPress doesn’t have the possibility to display a list of Posts determined by Post Category into a Menu/navigation area. THIS PLUGIN DOES JUST THAT! Thank you so much for your effort – I hope you continuously will update this plugin for all the people wanting this very simple, but important function!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ FabriSS7.0y ago
Funziona benissimo con la versione 5.2.4 di wordpress e anche con installazione MultiSite
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mocotoo9.3y ago
Thank you, a simple way to do a menu with posts by category.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Cormac Bracken9.4y ago
I’ve used this plugin for several years, and use it on probably 75% of sites that I build, mainly for small businesses where the business owner has limited technical skills. Usage: say you want a menu “Our Services”, with a sub-menu item for each service. You create a post category “our services”. Then in Appearance > Menus, you add “Our services” as a category, and check the additional box “Create submenu containing links to posts in this category”, as added by this plugin. Now add each service as a separate post. While on the post creation screen, you check the box for the category “our services”. You now have a menu where new items are added, as long as the author remembers to select the correct category while creating the post. The root menu item, “Our Services” also links to an archive-type page showing all the services (or more usually, their excerpt or first 55 words – depending on your settings and theme). The advantage of this is that the site owner can easily add further services later, without needing to manually add them into the menu. That’s important because it’s easy to mess up WordPress menus on the rather confusing editor screen.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ aetherhiannon9.9y ago
works great, no more manually adding posts to my menu categories!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.0.6 Verified compatibility with WordPress 7.0 3.0.6
- — Version 3.0.5 Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.9 3.0.5
- — Version 3.0.4 Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.8 3.0.4
- — Version 3.0.3 Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.7 3.0.3
- — Version 3.0.2 Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.6 3.0.2
- — Version 3.0.0 Now provides support for Full Site Editing with the Gutenberg Block Editor. Dropped support for WordPress 4.x, plugin now requires WordPress 5.4 or higher. Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.5 3.0.0
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 3 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
5 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 2 of 4 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Missing CSS classes").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, Block editor.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,827 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "submenu" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-26 3K+ → 2K+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2025-04-18 2K+ → 3K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-17 3K+ → 2K+ down after 669 days in tier
- 2023-06-18 4K+ → 3K+ down after 670 days in tier
- 2021-08-17 5K+ → 4K+ down after 420 days in tier
- 2020-06-23 6K+ → 5K+ down after 532 days in tier
- 2019-01-08 7K+ → 6K+ down after 681 days in tier
- 2017-02-26 6K+ → 7K+ up after 538 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).
- J JC Submenu 3K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Login or Logout Menu Item 20K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
Auto Submenu 2K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
WPB Floating Menu or Categories – Sticky Floating Side Menu & Categories with Icons 300+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Max Mega Menu 300K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Category Posts in Custom Menu into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/category-posts-in-custom-menu" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Category Posts in Custom Menu — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Category Posts in Custom Menu: 2K+ active installs, 4.8★ (43 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/category-posts-in-custom-menu
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