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Categories in Hierarchical Order

By Amit Sonkhiya

Site Structure & Navigation / Categories & Taxonomies

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Categories in Hierarchical Order Review - In-Depth Analysis

This plugin maintains the hierarchical order of categories in the WordPress Classic Post Editor. It ensures selected categories retain their parent-child relationship when saving posts.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.97/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 14+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin is designed to maintain the default hierarchical order of categories in the WordPress Classic Post Editor. Unlike the Gutenberg Editor, which preserves the parent-child relationship, this plugin ensures that the selected categories do not move to the top when saving a post.

By activating the Categories in Hierarchical Order plugin, the position of selected categories remains unchanged according to their hierarchy. This feature is particularly useful for users who prefer the Classic Post Editor.

For support, you can visit the official website or check the GitHub repository for issues and feature requests.

Comparing to Alternatives

Categories in Hierarchical Order is a specialized plugin that focuses on ordering categories hierarchically, distinguishing it from other category management plugins.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Orders categories hierarchically rather than alphabetically, improving category structure clarity.
Simple and easy to use with no complex setup required.
Highly rated with perfect 5-star reviews indicating strong user satisfaction.
No known security vulnerabilities, ensuring safe use.
Free to use with no paid version, making it accessible to all users.

Weaknesses

Lacks a pro version with advanced features for power users.
Has not received updates for over a year, which may raise concerns about long-term maintenance.
Limited functionality focused solely on category ordering, lacking broader taxonomy management features.
No direct integration with other plugins or themes mentioned.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from all 14 reviewers, user feedback is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the plugin's effectiveness and ease of use.

Positive highlights

'Perfect' - swinggraphics
'Brilliant! This plugin fixed my ugly looking category structure!' - Andrew Schultz
'Indispensable for Hierarchical Categories' - sharonvillines
'Does the trick perfectly, thanks!' - Joshaw
'Should be standard in WordPress. Easy and works great!' - studioram

Common complaints

Weaknesses

No recent updates in over a year, which may concern users about future compatibility.
Limited to category ordering without additional taxonomy features.
No premium support or advanced options due to absence of a pro version.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who need a straightforward solution to order WordPress categories hierarchically without extra complexity or cost.

Not ideal for

Users seeking advanced taxonomy management features, frequent updates, or premium support might find this plugin lacking.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full functionality to order categories hierarchically, which satisfies most users' needs.

Final Verdict

Categories in Hierarchical Order excels at providing a simple, effective way to organize categories hierarchically, as reflected by its perfect user ratings and lack of security issues. It is a valuable tool for users who want to improve category structure without added complexity or cost.

However, the plugin's lack of recent updates and absence of advanced features or a pro version may limit its appeal for users needing more comprehensive taxonomy management or ongoing support. Overall, it is a reliable choice for straightforward hierarchical category ordering.