Head-to-head · October 2026
Category Expander vs Media Library Assistant
Media Library Assistant comes out ahead, winning 5 of 6 head-to-head checks against Category Expander.
Category Expander
Do you have a lot of categories and are sick of having a huge list in your sidebar? Want to highlight only a…
Media Library Assistant
The Media Library Assistant provides several enhancements for managing the Media Library, including:
| Metric | Category Expander | Media Library Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 10+ | 70K+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 51 | 41.8K |
| Download trend | -7.3% | -8.4% |
| Rating | — | 4.8/5 |
| Reviews | 0 | 202 |
| Health score | 31/100 | 94/100 |
| Last updated | 14 years ago | 3 weeks ago |
| Tested up to | — | WP 7.1.3 |
| Support resolved | — | 100% |
| Requires PHP | Any | 7.4+ |
| First released | Jan 2010 | Aug 2012 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Category ExpanderMedia Library Assistant
Choose Category Expander if…
You care most about download trend.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 14 years
Choose Media Library Assistant if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
- Proven at scale on 70K+ active sites
- Loved by users — 4.8/5 from 202 reviews
- Actively developed — last update 3 weeks ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
Both compete in: categories
FAQ
Category Expander vs Media Library Assistant: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 18, 2026
Which is better, Category Expander or Media Library Assistant?
Media Library Assistant comes out ahead, winning 5 of 6 head-to-head checks against Category Expander. Choose Category Expander if you care most about download trend. Choose Media Library Assistant if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
Is Category Expander more popular than Media Library Assistant?
Media Library Assistant is the more popular of the two with 70K+ active installs, compared with 10+ for Category Expander.
Can I use Category Expander and Media Library Assistant together?
Both plugins cover categories, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are Category Expander and Media Library Assistant free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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