FV Top Level Categories vs Permalink Manager Lite
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
Permalink Manager Lite leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #398, ahead of FV Top Level Categories at #1,313. Over the last 7 days Permalink Manager Lite climbed 1 place and FV Top Level Categories climbed 3 places. Permalink Manager Lite has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 100K+ active installs against 20K+ for FV Top Level Categories. Ratings: FV Top Level Categories 4.4★ from 23 and Permalink Manager Lite 4.8★ from 176 reviews.
| Metric | FV Top Level Categories | Permalink Manager Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,313 ▲ 3 | #398 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 20K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | — | 4,138 |
| Rating | 4.4★ (23) | 4.8★ (176) |
| Last updated | Sep 3, 2025 | Aug 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.9.1 | 2.6.0 |
| Best rank on record | #1,312 | #396 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Mar 2011 | Jan 2016 |
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
- Permalink Manager Lite vs AutoConvert Greeklish Permalinks
- Permalink Manager Lite vs Nginx Helper
- Permalink Manager Lite vs Remove Category URL
- Permalink Manager Lite vs Custom Permalinks
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, FV Top Level Categories or Permalink Manager Lite?
By active installs, Permalink Manager Lite: 100K+ sites run it against 20K+ for FV Top Level Categories, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 13, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, FV Top Level Categories or Permalink Manager Lite?
Permalink Manager Lite, at #398 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 FV Top Level Categories or Permalink Manager Lite 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.