Media Library Assistant vs WP Admin Category Search (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Media Library Assistant
70K+ active installs
Free
WP Admin Category Search
2.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Media Library Assistant has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 198 reviews) and leads in active installations (70K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Media Library Assistant has accumulated 2.6M+ total downloads while WP Admin Category Search has 26K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Media Library Assistant | WP Admin Category Search | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 4.6/5 |
| Total Reviews | 198 | ◄ | 13 |
| Active Installs | 70K+ | ◄ | 2.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 2.6M+ | ◄ | 26K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 5 days ago | ◄ | 2 years ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Age | 14 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 3.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 3.35 | 1.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Media Library Assistant
WP Admin Category Search
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Media Library Assistant averaged approximately 2,062 daily downloads while WP Admin Category Search averaged 14.
Recent Reviews
Media Library Assistant Reviews
Lifesaver for big sites
Media manager is a lifesaver for big sites. Sorting and folder-like organization makes content work much faster
Security Risk: Server Blacklisting
Following a WordPress core update to 6.9, WordFence flagged this plugin for a known security vulnerability. Within just a few hours, and before I could disable or update it, my VPS IP was blacklisted
Good one!
Just what we needed for our sites!
WP Admin Category Search Reviews
Really helpful for long category list
This is really really helpful for long category lists. If it has an ajax search to show categories as you type, also it would be awesome
Amazing
can you add Jquery Auto Suggestion?
Life Saver!
This should be built into wp by default1 I have been looking for this for a long time. Works great! Thanks!
More Plugins Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Media Library Assistant and WP Admin Category Search
Very customizable plugin to list posts by category (or tag, author and more) in a post, page or widget. Uses the [catlist] shortcode to select posts.
Tags, Categories and WordPress terms are easy with TaxoPress. Add a Tag or Category to Pages, manage your WooCommerce Categories and Tags and more.
Adds a widget that shows the most recent posts from a single category.
Replaces the plain-text category and tag description editor with a visual editor.
Adds the built in WordPress categories and tags to your pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Media Library Assistant or WP Admin Category Search more popular?
Which has better ratings — Media Library Assistant or WP Admin Category Search?
Are Media Library Assistant and WP Admin Category Search free?
Which plugin has better support — Media Library Assistant or WP Admin Category Search?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.