NS Category Widget
by Nilambar Sharma · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 5 other plugins · 6.2K+ installs across the portfolio →
A plugin to add widget for listing Categories and Taxonomies. Extending Default WordPress Category Widget.
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 72/100
Stale
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+34%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “category” for “category widget”. “category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “category widget” sits at #19 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
72 health vs 56 average across 5,895 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.3%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 43.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,188 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.
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: Update recency
Updated 414 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 34 reviews, smoothed to 4.38★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 414 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| category widget | #19 | #19 | down 2 |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| listing your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| sidebar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| taxonomy your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| widget your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “category” for “category widget”. “category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “category widget” sits at #19 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 1.8K · 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
1.1y ago
latest release · v4.1.6 · 12 Sep 2025
26
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 63% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.4 years 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 2 Dec 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ George K10mo ago
Exactly what I was looking for. Simple and follows the site css.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kml20121.7y ago
It’s the only working alternative for collapsing categories, which stopped working some time ago. NS saved me. Thank you 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ motorhomeblog2.2y ago
Makes my website look great!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sharppu2.3y ago
I am very happy to apply this wonderful plugin to show a tree structure listing for my posts
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shodikcha2.5y ago
good
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ danielepais2.7y ago
Nice and neat little plugin that does exactly what it said on the ad. Perfect for what we needed. A decent category tree view.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ iskolamedia2.9y ago
I Like It!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wp-savage3.0y ago
Пользуюсь этим плагином много лет, нареканий нет!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 languages, 2 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 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A plugin to add widget for listing Categories and Taxonomies. Extending Default WordPress Category Widget."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("There is something cool you could add…").
- ! 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 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 199 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "sidebar", "taxonomy" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-06-21 2K+ → 1K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-06-18 1K+ → 2K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2024-06-15 2K+ → 1K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2024-06-13 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-12 2K+ → 1K+ down after 534 days in tier
- 2022-12-26 3K+ → 2K+ down after 239 days in tier
- 2022-05-01 2K+ → 3K+ up after 1550 days in tier
- 2018-02-01 1K+ → 2K+ up
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★ · 3 shared tags A - R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D
- T Taxonomy Dropdown Widget 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags B
- T Taxonomy List Widget 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B
-
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Image Widget 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for NS Category Widget into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/ns-category-widget" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="NS Category Widget — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> NS Category Widget: 1K+ active installs, 4.8★ (34 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/ns-category-widget
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