FV Top Level Categories vs Media 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
FV Top Level Categories leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,309, ahead of Media Categories at #10,771. Over the last 7 days FV Top Level Categories climbed 5 places and Media Categories slipped 57 places. FV Top Level Categories has the largest install base, roughly 67× the next: 20K+ active installs against 300+ for Media Categories. Downloads this week: FV Top Level Categories 574 and Media Categories 30. Ratings: FV Top Level Categories 4.4★ from 23 and Media Categories 3.4★ from 7 reviews.
| Metric | FV Top Level Categories | Media Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,309 ▲ 5 | #10,771 ▼ 57 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 300+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 574 | 30 |
| Rating | 4.4★ (23) | 3.4★ (7) |
| Last updated | Sep 3, 2025 | Dec 18, 2012 |
| Current version | 1.9.1 | 1.5 |
| Best rank on record | #1,309 | #10,595 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Mar 2011 | Jan 2012 |
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
- 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 Permalinks
- FV Top Level Categories vs Custom Post Type Permalinks
- FV Top Level Categories vs Permalink Manager Lite
- Media Categories vs Media Library Categories
- Media Categories vs TaxoPress
- Media Categories vs Media Library Assistant
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, FV Top Level Categories or Media Categories?
By active installs, FV Top Level Categories: 20K+ sites run it against 300+ for Media Categories, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, FV Top Level Categories or Media Categories?
FV Top Level Categories, at #1,309 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Media Categories at #10,771. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are FV Top Level Categories or Media 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.