Custom Permalinks vs FV Top Level Categories
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
Custom Permalinks leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #405, ahead of FV Top Level Categories at #1,313. Over the last 7 days Custom Permalinks slipped 29 places and FV Top Level Categories climbed 2 places. Custom Permalinks has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 100K+ active installs against 20K+ for FV Top Level Categories. Downloads this week: Custom Permalinks 10,630 and FV Top Level Categories 595. Ratings: Custom Permalinks 4.1★ from 116 and FV Top Level Categories 4.4★ from 23 reviews.
| Metric | Custom Permalinks | FV Top Level Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #405 ▼ 29 | #1,313 ▲ 2 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 20K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 10,630 | 595 |
| Rating | 4.1★ (116) | 4.4★ (23) |
| Last updated | Oct 13, 2026 | Sep 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 3.3.3 | 1.9.1 |
| Best rank on record | #370 | #1,312 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2008 | Mar 2011 |
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
More comparisons
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- FV Top Level Categories vs List category posts
- FV Top Level Categories vs Post Tags and Categories for Pages
- FV Top Level Categories vs Custom Post Type Permalinks
- FV Top Level Categories vs Permalink Manager Lite
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Custom Permalinks or FV Top Level Categories?
By active installs, Custom Permalinks: 100K+ sites run it against 20K+ for FV Top Level Categories, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 27, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Custom Permalinks or FV Top Level Categories?
Custom Permalinks, at #405 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with FV Top Level Categories at #1,313. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Custom Permalinks or FV Top Level Categories 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.