FV Top Level Categories vs Media Library Categories (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
Media Library 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 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. FV Top Level Categories has accumulated 248K+ total downloads while Media Library Categories has 560K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | FV Top Level Categories | Media Library Categories | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | ◄ | 4.2/5 |
| Total Reviews | 23 | ► | 52 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | 20K+ | |
| Total Downloads | 248K+ | ► | 560K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 7 months ago | ◄ | 10 months ago |
| First Released | 2011 | 2013 | |
| Age | 15 years | 13 years | |
| WP Requires | 3.2.1+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.9.1 | 2.0.2 |
Rating Breakdown
FV Top Level Categories
Media Library Categories
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, FV Top Level Categories averaged approximately 23 daily downloads while Media Library Categories averaged 87.
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!
Media Library Categories Reviews
Not working anymore
Actually a helpful plugin. But has not been working with WPBakery Page Builder for some time now. Among other things, it blocks adding new images to a gallery. This topic was modified 2 years,
Simple and great
Simple and great plugin for adding category taxonomy to WordPress media.
Works Great
This plugin is great, super helpful. I have been using it to create categories for media items that I then use with Loopers in Theme.co’s Pro theme with Grids and Sliders. Saved me tons of work.
More Categories Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as FV Top Level Categories and Media Library Categories
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.
Replaces the plain-text category and tag description editor with a visual editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FV Top Level Categories or Media Library Categories more popular?
Which has better ratings — FV Top Level Categories or Media Library Categories?
Are FV Top Level Categories and Media Library Categories free?
Which plugin has better support — FV Top Level Categories or Media Library Categories?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.