Parentless Categories
v2.3.1by Scott Reilly · updated 1 year ago
Provides a template tag like the_category() to list categories assigned to a post except those that have a child category also assigned to the post.
- Rank
- #29,292
- No change yet
- Active installs (est.)
- ≈ 17
- 10+ reported · High
- Total downloads
- 6.4K
- 6,411 all-time
- Rating
- –
- 0 reviews
- Support resolved
- –
- 0 of 0 threads, last 2 months
Parentless Categories at a glance
Parentless Categories is a WordPress plugin by Scott Reilly with 10+ active installs, the #29,292 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. It has no reviews yet. Version 2.3.1 came out on Apr 21, 2025, more than a year ago. It is tested up to WordPress 6.8.12. It leads the 2 plugins tagged “the_category”. It was first released in 2009.
Chart time range
Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 27, 2026, 13 days.
Downloads over time
Download stats22 downloads · the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Parentless Categories |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 8, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | 11 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 0 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 11 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 0 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 0 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 0 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 0 |
Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.
Estimated installs
≈ 17 · 0.0% in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Estimated installs |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 8, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 17 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 17 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 17 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 17 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 17 |
Rank over time
#29,292 · up 152 in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | #29,292 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | #29,546 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | #29,432 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | #29,323 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | #29,553 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | #29,535 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | #29,412 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | #29,451 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | #29,444 |
Growth %
Average 0.00% a day in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Growth |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 8, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 0.00% |
Active installs band
10+ on WordPress.org
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 8, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 6, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 10+ |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 10+ |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 10+ |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 10+ |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 10+ |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 10+ |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 10+ |
Search rankings
Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.
See where Parentless Categories ranks in search
Track this plugin to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.
Change log
From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org- Tested up to 6.8.11 → 6.8.12
Versions in use
Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.
- v2.2100%
Requirements & info
Version history- Version
- 2.3.1
- Requires WordPress
- 4.6
- Tested up to
- 6.8.12
- Requires PHP
- –
- First released
- Jun 12, 2009
- Last updated
- Apr 21, 2025
- Releases, last 12 months
- …
Questions about Parentless Categories
How many websites use Parentless Categories?
Parentless Categories is active on 10+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #29,292 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.
How many times has Parentless Categories been downloaded?
6,411 times in total since 2009.
When was Parentless Categories last updated?
Version 2.3.1 came out on Apr 21, 2025 (1 year ago).
Is Parentless Categories compatible with the latest WordPress?
Parentless Categories’s readme says it’s tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, while the current version is 7.1. That doesn’t mean it breaks, but its author hasn’t confirmed it works with the latest releases.
Is Parentless Categories still maintained?
Its last release was 1 year ago, so it may no longer be actively maintained. No support threads were opened in the last two months.
What rating does Parentless Categories have?
No one has reviewed Parentless Categories on WordPress.org yet.
What are the best alternatives to Parentless Categories?
The plugins most like Parentless Categories, by the tags they share, are List category posts (70K+), PublishPress Taxonomies (40K+) and Media Library Categories (20K+). Compare all alternatives
Compare with competitors
Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Estimated installs | ≈ 17 |
| Reported installs | 10+ |
| Rating | – |
| Reviews | 0 |
| Total downloads | 6.4K |
| Author | Scott Reilly |
| First released | Jun 12, 2009 |
| Version | 2.3.1 |
| Requires WP | 4.6 |
| Requires PHP | – |
| Last updated | Apr 21, 2025 |
Alternatives to Parentless Categories
Compare all alternativesPopular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.
List category posts
by Fernando Briano
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.
- Rank
- #547
- Installs
- 70K+
- 4.7
PublishPress Taxonomies
by PublishPress
Tags, Categories and WordPress terms are easy with PublishPress Taxonomies. Add a Tag or Category to Pages, manage your WooCommerce Categories and Tag …
- Rank
- #810
- Installs
- 40K+
- 4.6
Media Library Categories
by jeffrey-wp
Adds the ability to use categories in the media library.
- Rank
- #1,247
- Installs
- 20K+
- 4.2
List categories
by Fernando Briano
Simple plugin to display categories in any post or page with a shortcode.
- Rank
- #3,104
- Installs
- 5K+
- 4.5
Recent Posts by Category Widget
by Ross Cornell
Just like the default Recent Posts widget except you can choose a category to pull posts from.
- Rank
- #3,444
- Installs
- 4K+
- 4.7
Pages with category and tag
by YAHMAN
Add Categories and Tags to Pages.
- Rank
- #713
- Installs
- 50K+
- 4.8
Side by side:Parentless Categories vs List category postsParentless Categories vs PublishPress TaxonomiesParentless Categories vs Media Library Categories
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