List categories
by Fernando Briano · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 85K+ installs across the portfolio →
Simple plugin to display categories in any post or page with a shortcode.
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 88/100
no flags
Active installs
5K+
≈5.5K estimated
Momentum
+35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “cat”, “lists” and “fashion” to your wp.org tags. You rank #6, #10 and #11 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
88 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.4%
of downloads still active
At least 5K of 78.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,767 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.
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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 48 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.5★ over 15 reviews, smoothed to 4.19★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
41
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| categories your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| list categories | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| ordered list | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| list your tag | #3 | #5 | up 1 |
| categories images | #2 | #4 | up 2 |
| taxonomy list shortcode | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| list pages | #5 | #9 | up 1 |
| shortcode list | #3 | #6 | up 1 |
| list id | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| post categories | #6 | #13 | up 2 |
| cat | #6 | #6 | 0 |
| categories in page | #4 | #8 | 0 |
| page categories | #4 | #8 | down 1 |
| list posts | #9 | #16 | down 1 |
| cms your tag | #14 | #12 | down 1 |
| lists | #10 | #18 | down 2 |
| posts list | #10 | #14 | up 1 |
| fashion | #11 | #10 | 0 |
| page list | #8 | #16 | up 1 |
| category title | #14 | #13 | 0 |
108 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 79 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “cat”, “lists” and “fashion” to your wp.org tags. You rank #6, #10 and #11 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed these are the slots worth spending.
- One page off on “cms”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.8K · 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
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
1.5y ago
latest release · v0.5 · 15 May 2025
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 80% 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 “5K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 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 1 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ amedeebulle3.3y ago
I was looking for a way to list subcategories of a single main category.This plugin does the trick (and more)
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ robegb3.4y ago
Well documented. Thank you! This topic was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by robegb.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris Roberts4.1y ago
Thank you for the great plugin! It works perfectly with WP v6.0.2 and my Hello Theme and has saved me hours of work 🙂 Cheers!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bigcheesez4.1y ago
i hope these great works bless you with future work and good fortune. thank you kindly. oh and i tested this and works fine!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ orangesunshine8.6y ago
could not find out out how to use it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mel - Jett Web Development10.0y ago
Thank you, perfect solution in minutes!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mohsin Alam10.2y ago
This plugin only working, it has no styling. I would love to have some style like grid system and two column. Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mojtaba Faal10.5y ago
Best Plugin
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 0.4 Tested up to the latest version of WordPress. 0.4
- — Version 0.3 Tested up to the latest version of WordPress Adds note about taxonomies, updates parameters 0.3
- — Version 0.2 Fixes plugin content with wrong placement. Thanks windwww from the WP Forums. 0.2
- — Version 0.1 First version based on this GitHub issue 0.1
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (0.5). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 List categories <= 0.4 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode ↗2024-05-29 CVE-2024-4356 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 0.4 Patched in 0.5
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.5.4
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
4 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 "Simple plugin to display categories in any post or page with a shortcode."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,599 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "cms" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-19 6K+ → 5K+ down after 76 days in tier
- 2026-02-02 5K+ → 6K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 6K+ → 5K+ down after 434 days in tier
- 2024-11-22 7K+ → 6K+ down after 278 days in tier
- 2024-02-18 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1377 days in tier
- 2020-05-12 4K+ → 6K+ up after 904 days in tier
- 2017-11-20 2K+ → 4K+ up after 718 days in tier
- 2015-12-03 1K+ → 2K+ up after 103 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 category posts 80K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Custom Category Listing Page 40+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D - B Blog-in-Blog 800+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B
-
GUI for List Category Posts 600+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D -
Category Thumbnail List 200+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D - L List category posts with pagination 200+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for List categories into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/list-categories" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="List categories — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> List categories: 5K+ active installs, 4.5★ (15 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/list-categories
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