PluginSift

Custom Permalinks vs FV Top Level Categories (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Custom Permalinks

Custom Permalinks

4.1(116)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 5 months ago
View Custom Permalinks
VS
FV Top Level Categories

FV Top Level Categories

4.4(23)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 7 months ago
View FV Top Level Categories

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, FV Top Level Categories has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 23 reviews) while Custom Permalinks leads in active installations (100K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Custom Permalinks has accumulated 2.5M+ total downloads while FV Top Level Categories has 248K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.1/5Custom Permalinks
►
FV Top Level Categories4.4/5
Total Reviews
116Custom Permalinks
◄
FV Top Level Categories23
Active Installs
100K+Custom Permalinks
◄
FV Top Level Categories20K+
Total Downloads
2.5M+Custom Permalinks
◄
FV Top Level Categories248K+
Support Resolution
0%Custom Permalinks
FV Top Level CategoriesN/A
Last Updated
5 months agoCustom Permalinks
◄
FV Top Level Categories7 months ago
First Released
2008Custom Permalinks
FV Top Level Categories2011
Age
18 yearsCustom Permalinks
FV Top Level Categories15 years
WP Requires
2.6+Custom Permalinks
FV Top Level Categories3.2.1+
PHP Requires
7.0+Custom Permalinks
FV Top Level Categoriesfalse+
Business Model
FreeCustom Permalinks
FV Top Level CategoriesFree
Latest Version
3.1.2Custom Permalinks
FV Top Level Categories1.9.1

Rating Breakdown

Custom Permalinks

4.1/5(116 reviews)
5
69%
4
9%
3
3%
2
2%
1
18%

FV Top Level Categories

4.4/5(23 reviews)
5
83%
4
0%
3
4%
2
0%
1
13%

Recent Reviews

Custom Permalinks Reviews

by dondonkiii

Changed the slug but the page turned unavailable

Did not work… I dont think this is a functional plugin. it has 4 stars in total with lots of 1 stars i guess it is what it is. I deleted the plugin and it is fine now.

by saad7777

caused Posts/Pages to redirect to other posts/pages.

blog post are redirecting to some other post. i dunno why. but deactivating this plugin resolved the issue. So the issue must be in the plugin. is there anything i can do in this situation?

by nimonogi

Excellent plugin

Excellent plugin. I would really like to see categories included as well.

FV Top Level Categories Reviews

by thepiper

It works

It works fine

by ADigitalMark

Perfect

Simple. Light on code. Easy to understand interface. Handles redirects by itself. Works immediately, without breaking anything else. A delight to have discovered it. I can recommend this to anyone wan

by aplusdesign

Works Perfectly :: If you have your other permalinks correct!

Does as labelled, removed /category/ from all my category links generated by WordPress, did not break pagination!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Custom Permalinks or FV Top Level Categories more popular?
Custom Permalinks has 100K+ active installations while FV Top Level Categories has 20K+. Custom Permalinks is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Custom Permalinks or FV Top Level Categories?
Custom Permalinks has a 4.1/5 rating from 116 reviews, while FV Top Level Categories has a 4.4/5 rating from 23 reviews.
Are Custom Permalinks and FV Top Level Categories free?
Custom Permalinks is free and FV Top Level Categories is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Custom Permalinks or FV Top Level Categories?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Custom Permalinks was last updated 5 months ago and FV Top Level Categories was last updated 7 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.