Category and Subcategory List Widget
by Murali · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 1 other plugin · 800+ installs across the portfolio →
This widget allows to add/update icons for category or icon for custom taxonomy. It lists Categories in horizontal menu pattern.
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
B 71/100
Few reviews
Active installs
600+
≈680 estimated
Momentum
+35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “category list”. #16 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
71 health vs 56 average across 5,897 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 39.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,191 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: Rating quality
Updated 335 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.5★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
27
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| subcategory list your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| subcategory your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| subcategories | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| category list your tag | #16 | #23 | down 1 |
| category icon | #18 | #22 | down 1 |
| category icons | #19 | #21 | — |
| list categories | #23 | #24 | — |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
10 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “category list”. #16 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “category” and “widget” 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.
- Already on top for “subcategories”. #1 without listing it. A tag would change little there; your slots are better spent on a search you don't yet win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 723 · 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
11mo ago
latest release · v7.3 · 1 Dec 2025
48
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 41% 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 700.
Install history since 27 Mar 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Tim Reeves5mo ago
The concept does exactly what I wanted. Parent and child categories are both clickable, and only the parents are initially visible (that’s good in the sidebar), and on click the WordPress search results page for the chosen category is displayed. I’m creating a new website for a tour operator, and they have a few tours to the Baltic area, a few to Afrika, a few to Asia… and 20 to Europe. The problem is when the mouse goes over Europe, the flyout child menu is positioned either above or below the parent item, depending on which direction has most space. But always pinned to the parent item. With 20 items in the child menu, it’s always truncated (off screen) either at the top or the bottom. It would have space if you instead oriented the middle of it to the parent item – or better, make it equidistant to the top and bottom of the viewport. As is, I can’t use it. And all this icon stuff, I don’t need it so it’s just adding bloat to the CSS sent to the browser. Could you not send it to the browser if icons are not selected? Anyways, after a good laugh at the German translation of “empty cats” as “leere Katzen” (Katzen are those four-legged meow house pets), I updated the German translation. Look for Tim Reeves, Waldheim, Germany if you want it 🙂 And thanks for a well-conceived plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ motmat9.5y ago
It looks and operates great. WOOF – WooCommerce Products Filter Would be better with options indication for opened category color and hover options mobile version solution thx This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by motmat.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marius9.9y ago
works great for what i need
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wxia082210.1y ago
Does what it says!
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 132 languages, 1 at 90% or more
Plus 108 more locales with partial translations.
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
3 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 widget allows to add/update icons for category or icon for custom taxonomy. It lists Categories in hor..."
- ! 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 Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress, Facebook, Twitter.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 917 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "category list", "subcategory list" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-27 700+ → 600+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-25 600+ → 700+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2026-08-17 700+ → 600+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-08-14 600+ → 700+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-08-11 700+ → 600+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-08-10 600+ → 700+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-08-05 700+ → 600+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-08-03 600+ → 700+ 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).
-
List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A - R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
- N NS Category Widget 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Blocksy Companion 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Category and Subcategory List Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/category-subcategory-list-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Category and Subcategory List Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Category and Subcategory List Widget: 600+ active installs, 4.5★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/category-subcategory-list-widget
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