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Recent Posts by Category Widget

v1.3

by Ross Cornell · updated 9 years ago

Just like the default Recent Posts widget except you can choose a category to pull posts from.

categoriescategoryrecent postssidebarwidget
WordPress.org SaveAnalyze reviews Track this plugin
Rank
#3,444
Up10 vs yesterday
Active installs (est.)
≈ 4,370
4K+ reported · High
Total downloads
35.3K
35,286 all-time
Rating
4.7/5
12 reviews
Support resolved
–
0 of 0 threads, last 2 months
Growing·Downloads +38.9% (30d)·Toward 5K+ · ETA ~12d

Recent Posts by Category Widget at a glance

Recent Posts by Category Widget is a WordPress plugin by Ross Cornell with 4K+ active installs, the #3,444 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 17 times, 39% more than the month before. It’s rated 4.7 out of 5 from 12 reviews. Version 1.3 came out on Nov 28, 2017, more than 8 years ago. It is tested up to WordPress 4.2.39. Among the 104 plugins tagged “recent posts”, it ranks #7. It was first released in 2014.

Chart time range

Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 10, 2026, 30 days.

Showing the last 30 days. Full history comes with any paid plan.See plans

Downloads over time

Download stats

386 downloads · the last 30 days

Downloads over time
Recent Posts by Category Widget Compare series
Downloads over time: 26 days across 1 series.10203040Oct 10Oct 14Oct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 31Nov 4
View as table
DateRecent Posts by Category Widget
Nov 4, 202617
Nov 3, 202613
Nov 2, 202640
Nov 1, 202622
Oct 31, 202615
Oct 30, 202612
Oct 29, 202617
Oct 28, 202611
Oct 27, 202620
Oct 26, 202619
Oct 25, 202617
Oct 24, 202613
Oct 23, 202621
Oct 22, 202614
Oct 21, 202612
Oct 20, 202612
Oct 19, 202615
Oct 18, 202610
Oct 17, 202610
Oct 16, 202616
Oct 15, 20268
Oct 14, 202613
Oct 13, 202610
Oct 12, 20266
Oct 11, 202612
Oct 10, 202611

Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.

Estimated installs

≈ 4,365 · +0.2% in the last 30 days

Estimated installs
Estimated installs: 13 days across 1 series.4.4K4.4K4.4K4.4KOct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 9
View as table
DateEstimated installs
Nov 9, 20264,365
Nov 8, 20264,352
Nov 7, 20264,362
Nov 5, 20264,367
Nov 4, 20264,363
Nov 3, 20264,352
Nov 2, 20264,353
Nov 1, 20264,351
Oct 31, 20264,352
Oct 30, 20264,353
Oct 29, 20264,353
Oct 28, 20264,352
Oct 27, 20264,356

Rank over time

#3,444 · down 1 in the last 30 days

Popular rank
Popular rank: 15 days across 1 series.#3.5K#3.5KOct 16Oct 27Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 9, 2026#3,444
Nov 8, 2026#3,454
Nov 7, 2026#3,450
Nov 6, 2026#3,446
Nov 5, 2026#3,447
Nov 4, 2026#3,448
Nov 3, 2026#3,454
Nov 2, 2026#3,451
Nov 1, 2026#3,451
Oct 31, 2026#3,454
Oct 30, 2026#3,454
Oct 29, 2026#3,457
Oct 28, 2026#3,466
Oct 27, 2026#3,464
Oct 16, 2026#3,443

Growth %

Average +0.02% a day in the last 30 days

Growth %, day over day
Growth %, day over day: 12 days across 1 series.-0.2%0%0.2%Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 9
View as table
DateGrowth
Nov 9, 2026+0.30%
Nov 8, 2026-0.23%
Nov 7, 2026-0.06%
Nov 5, 2026+0.09%
Nov 4, 2026+0.25%
Nov 3, 2026-0.02%
Nov 2, 2026+0.05%
Nov 1, 2026-0.02%
Oct 31, 2026-0.02%
Oct 30, 20260.00%
Oct 29, 2026+0.02%
Oct 28, 2026-0.09%

Active installs band

4K+ on WordPress.org

Active installs (rounded band)
Active installs (rounded band): 15 days across 1 series.3.8K4K4.2KOct 16Oct 27Nov 1Nov 5Nov 9
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 9, 20264K+
Nov 8, 20264K+
Nov 7, 20264K+
Nov 6, 20264K+
Nov 5, 20264K+
Nov 4, 20264K+
Nov 3, 20264K+
Nov 2, 20264K+
Nov 1, 20264K+
Oct 31, 20264K+
Oct 30, 20264K+
Oct 29, 20264K+
Oct 28, 20264K+
Oct 27, 20264K+
Oct 16, 20264K+

Search rankings

Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.

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Change log

From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org

No changes yet. When this plugin's name, short description, tags, “Tested up to” or version change, they show here with what happened to its rank next.

Versions in use

Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.

  • v1.399%
  • v1.11.1%

Rating trend

4.7★★★★★12 reviews · steady in the last 30 days

Requirements & info

Version history
Version
1.3
Requires WordPress
3.0.1
Tested up to
4.2.39
Requires PHP
–
First released
Feb 26, 2014
Last updated
Nov 28, 2017
Releases, last 12 months
…

Questions about Recent Posts by Category Widget

How many websites use Recent Posts by Category Widget?

Recent Posts by Category Widget is active on 4K+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #3,444 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.

How many times has Recent Posts by Category Widget been downloaded?

35,286 times in total since 2014. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 17 times. See download stats

When was Recent Posts by Category Widget last updated?

Version 1.3 came out on Nov 28, 2017 (8 years ago). See every release

Is Recent Posts by Category Widget compatible with the latest WordPress?

Recent Posts by Category Widget’s readme says it’s tested up to WordPress 4.2.39, 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.

Does Recent Posts by Category Widget have known security vulnerabilities?

No. WPVulnerability’s database lists no known vulnerabilities for Recent Posts by Category Widget. See its security record

Is Recent Posts by Category Widget still maintained?

Its last release was 8 years ago, so it may no longer be actively maintained. No support threads were opened in the last two months.

What rating does Recent Posts by Category Widget have?

4.7 out of 5 from 12 reviews on WordPress.org. 83% of them give 5 stars.

What are the best alternatives to Recent Posts by Category Widget?

The plugins most like Recent Posts by Category Widget, by the tags they share, are Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails (100K+), List Custom Taxonomy Widget (8K+) and Custom Sidebars (100K+). Compare all alternatives

Latest reviews

Analyze reviews
All reviews on WordPress.org

Review stats

4.7

★★★★★

12 reviews

  • 5 stars: 10 reviews, 83%
  • 4 stars: 1 reviews, 8%
  • 3 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
  • 2 stars: 1 reviews, 8%
  • 1 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
Positive
92%4–5★
Mixed
0%3★
Critical
8%1–2★
  • About 4 more 5★ reviews would lift it to 4.8.
  • Each new 1★ review takes 11 five-star reviews to balance out.

Compare with competitors

Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.

Starter · 1 competitor
Recent Posts by Category Widget
Suggested:
Metric
Recent Posts by Category Widget
Estimated installs≈ 4,370
Reported installs4K+
Rating4.7
Reviews12
Total downloads35.3K
AuthorRoss Cornell
First releasedFeb 26, 2014
Version1.3
Requires WP3.0.1
Requires PHP–
Last updatedNov 28, 2017

Alternatives to Recent Posts by Category Widget

Compare all alternatives

Popular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.

Side by side:Recent Posts by Category Widget vs Recent Posts Widget With ThumbnailsRecent Posts by Category Widget vs List Custom Taxonomy WidgetRecent Posts by Category Widget vs Custom Sidebars