# Top Level Categories

> Top Level Categories has 2K+ active installs, a 5/5 rating from 4 reviews and 336 downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 35/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Consider an alternative.** Top Level Categories shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 2K+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 35/100 on our health check.

**The Top Level Categories plugin allows you to remove the prefix before the URL to your category page. For example, instead of http://fortes.com/category/work, I use http://fortes.com/work for the address my “work”…**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 2K+
- **Total downloads:** 93,051
- **Downloads (30 days):** 336 (+8% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 5/5 from 4 reviews
- **Health score:** 35/100 (At risk)
- **Version:** 1.0.1
- **Last updated:** Nov 28, 2017
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 2.5
- **Requires:** WordPress 2.0.9+
- **Support resolved:** 0 of 0 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** Fortes (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/fil/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/top-level-cats/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [categories](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/categories/) | #20 | 350 |
| [permalink](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/permalink/) | #12 | 132 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| categories | >100 | 10,000 |
| permalink | >100 | 3,404 |

## Version adoption

- 1.0: 100%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [List category posts](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/list-category-posts/) | 80K+ | 4.7/5 (254) | Jul 7, 2026 | 71/100 |
| 2 | [Media Library Assistant](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/media-library-assistant/) | 70K+ | 4.8/5 (202) | Sep 27, 2026 | 94/100 |
| 3 | [Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/simple-tags/) | 40K+ | 4.6/5 (194) | Sep 23, 2026 | 93/100 |
| 4 | [Media Library Categories](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-media-library-categories/) | 20K+ | 4.2/5 (52) | Aug 22, 2026 | 71/100 |
| 5 | [FV Top Level Categories](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/fv-top-level-cats/) | 20K+ | 4.4/5 (23) | Sep 3, 2025 | 53/100 |
| 6 | [Post Tags and Categories for Pages](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/post-tags-and-categories-for-pages/) | 20K+ | 4.8/5 (23) | Jan 7, 2026 | 61/100 |
| 7 | [Visual Term Description Editor](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/visual-term-description-editor/) | 10K+ | 5/5 (21) | Aug 17, 2024 | 47/100 |
| 8 | [Essential Widgets](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/essential-widgets/) | 10K+ | 3.5/5 (2) | Jun 18, 2026 | 65/100 |
| 9 | [Hide Categories and Products for Woocommerce](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/hide-categories-products-woocommerce/) | 10K+ | 4.1/5 (29) | Apr 29, 2026 | 60/100 |
| 10 | [Allow HTML in Category Descriptions](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/allow-html-in-category-descriptions/) | 8K+ | 5/5 (41) | Mar 5, 2026 | 61/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Top Level Categories free?
Yes. Top Level Categories is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is Top Level Categories safe to use in 2026?
Top Level Categories shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 2K+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 35/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use Top Level Categories?
Top Level Categories is active on 2K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 93,051 times since it launched in March 2007. It was downloaded 336 times in the last 30 days.

### Does Top Level Categories work with WordPress 7.1?
Top Level Categories is officially tested up to WordPress 2.5, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

### When was Top Level Categories last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.1, was released on November 28, 2017 (9 years ago).

### Who makes Top Level Categories?
Top Level Categories is developed and maintained by Fortes.

### What are the best alternatives to Top Level Categories?
The most popular alternatives to Top Level Categories are List category posts (80K+ installs), Media Library Assistant (70K+ installs) and Tag, Category, and Taxonomy… (40K+ installs).


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Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/top-level-cats/ · Generated 2026-09-28 03:14 UTC by PageForge