The strongest Post Types Order alternative for most sites is Intuitive Custom Post Order, which brings the same drag-and-drop reordering with a cleaner setup and reliable handling of both posts and terms. For a stripped-back free tool, Simple Custom Post Order covers the basics, while Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order is the pick when you mainly reorder categories. We ranked these from our index of 55,000+ WordPress plugins.

Why people switch from Post Types Order

• People wanting drag-and-drop ordering that also covers taxonomy terms move to Intuitive Custom Post Order or Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order.
• Those wanting the simplest possible reordering tool move to Simple Custom Post Order.
• Users who hit compatibility conflicts move to Intuitive Custom Post Order for its wider archive support.
• Developers wanting a lighter footprint move to Custom Post Type Order.

Intuitive Custom Post Order – Overall replacement

Intuitive Custom Post Order lets you reorder posts, pages, custom post types, and taxonomy terms by dragging them in the admin, with the new order reflected on the front end. Against Post Types Order, it is straightforward to configure and handles term ordering as well as posts in one plugin. Its drawback is that it has almost no settings, so if you need per-post-type toggles or query controls, it deliberately does not offer them.

Choose Intuitive Custom Post Order if you want simple, reliable drag-and-drop ordering for posts and terms.

Simple Custom Post Order – Basic reordering

Simple Custom Post Order from Colorlib lets you drag posts, pages, and custom post types into a custom order from the admin list screens. Against Post Types Order, it is lighter and simpler, with almost nothing to configure. Its drawback is that it changes the global query order, which can reorder listings in places you did not intend unless you account for it in your templates.

Choose Simple Custom Post Order if you want a minimal, no-configuration reordering plugin.

Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order – Ordering categories and terms

Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order focuses on reordering categories, tags, and custom taxonomy terms by drag and drop, from the same maker as Post Types Order. Against Post Types Order, it is the specialist for term ordering, which it handles more thoroughly. Its limitation is that it is built for taxonomies, so it is not the tool for ordering the posts themselves.

Choose Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order if you mainly need to reorder categories and taxonomy terms.

custom-post-type-order – Lightweight ordering

Custom Post Type Order is a lightweight utility for drag-and-drop ordering of custom post types and standard posts. Against Post Types Order, it keeps things minimal and focused purely on post ordering. Its drawback is that it is a smaller, less actively maintained plugin, so support and updates are more limited than the better-known options.

Choose custom-post-type-order if you want a bare-bones ordering tool for custom post types.

When to stay on Post Types Order

Stay on Post Types Order if it is already ordering your content correctly and you rely on its options for auto-sorting and per-post-type control. It is a mature, free plugin, and these reordering tools all hook into the same query behaviour, so swapping one for another risks changing how your archives sort with no visible benefit.

How we ranked these

Every plugin here is scored by the WPS Score, a single 0 to 10 rating built from 21 signals covering maintenance, support responsiveness, compatibility, performance, and ratings quality across our index of 55,000+ plugins. Rankings are derived from that data, not editorial preference, and no plugin author can pay to change a score. How the WPS Score works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Post Types Order?

Intuitive Custom Post Order is the best free alternative, offering drag-and-drop ordering for posts, custom post types, and taxonomy terms in one plugin. Simple Custom Post Order is a lighter option if you only need to reorder posts and pages.

Can these plugins reorder categories as well as posts?

Some can. Intuitive Custom Post Order and Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order both handle taxonomy terms like categories and tags. Simple Custom Post Order focuses mainly on posts and post types, so it is weaker for term ordering.

Will changing post order plugins affect my existing order?

It can. Most of these plugins store the custom order in the same menu_order field, so switching often preserves it, but not always. Back up first and check your archives after activating a new plugin to confirm the order carried over.

The verdict

The best all-round Post Types Order alternative is Intuitive Custom Post Order for reliable drag-and-drop ordering of posts and terms, with Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order the pick for categories and Simple Custom Post Order for the simplest setup. If Post Types Order already sorts your content the way you want, staying put is sensible.