FV Top Level Categories vs Essential Widgets (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
FV Top Level Categories
20K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, FV Top Level Categories has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 23 reviews) and leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. FV Top Level Categories has accumulated 248K+ total downloads while Essential Widgets has 489K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | FV Top Level Categories | Essential Widgets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | ◄ | 3.5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 23 | ◄ | 2 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 248K+ | ► | 489K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 7 months ago | ► | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2011 | 2017 | |
| Age | 15 years | 9 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.2.1+ | 5.9+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.9.1 | 3.0.1 |
Rating Breakdown
FV Top Level Categories
Essential Widgets
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, FV Top Level Categories averaged approximately 23 daily downloads while Essential Widgets averaged 66.
Recent Reviews
FV Top Level Categories Reviews
It works
It works fine
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
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!
Essential Widgets Reviews
alot of useful widgets but in the paid version
A lot of useful widgets but in the paid version. The free one is limited. This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by KJA4U.
Excellent
Excellent
More Categories Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as FV Top Level Categories and Essential Widgets
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.
Enhances the Media Library; powerful gallery and list shortcodes, full taxonomy support, IPTC/EXIF/XMP/PDF processing, bulk/quick edit.
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.
Adds the built in WordPress categories and tags to your pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FV Top Level Categories or Essential Widgets more popular?
Which has better ratings — FV Top Level Categories or Essential Widgets?
Are FV Top Level Categories and Essential Widgets free?
Which plugin has better support — FV Top Level Categories or Essential Widgets?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.