Categories Metabox Enhanced vs Search & Filter
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Search & Filter leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #792, ahead of Categories Metabox Enhanced at #6,869. Over the last 7 days Search & Filter slipped 1 place and Categories Metabox Enhanced slipped 12 places. Search & Filter has the largest install base, roughly 40× the next: 40K+ active installs against 1K+ for Categories Metabox Enhanced. Downloads this week: Search & Filter 1,832 and Categories Metabox Enhanced 150. Ratings: Categories Metabox Enhanced 4.9★ from 16 and Search & Filter 4.5★ from 175 reviews.
| Metric | Categories Metabox Enhanced | Search & Filter |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #6,869 ▼ 12 | #792 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 1K+ | 40K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 150 | 1,832 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (16) | 4.5★ (175) |
| Last updated | Jun 25, 2026 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Current version | 0.9.2 | 1.2.18 |
| Best rank on record | #6,856 | #782 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2014 | Sep 2013 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 1 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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- Search & Filter vs WP No Base Permalink
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Categories Metabox Enhanced or Search & Filter?
By active installs, Search & Filter: 40K+ sites run it against 1K+ for Categories Metabox Enhanced, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Categories Metabox Enhanced or Search & Filter?
Search & Filter, at #792 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Categories Metabox Enhanced at #6,869. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Categories Metabox Enhanced or Search & Filter alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.