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Category Posts in Custom Menu

By Diana van de Laarschot

Site Structure & Navigation / Menu Management & Mega Menus

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

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

Category Posts in Custom Menu Review - In-Depth Analysis

Create dynamic menus that list all posts from a category in your WordPress menu. Supports tags, custom taxonomies, pages, and custom post types.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.85/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 43+ 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 enhances the default custom menu in WordPress by allowing you to list posts and pages directly in your menu. It automatically generates links to the posts from a specific category or taxonomy.

Additionally, it supports custom taxonomies and custom post types. The latest version includes compatibility with Full Site Editing using the Gutenberg Block Editor. Please check the changelog for any breaking changes if upgrading from version 1.x.

To use this plugin, enable it and navigate to Appearance > Menus or Appearance > Customize. You can add a category or other taxonomy to your menu and choose to replace it with the actual posts or pages.

For each category in your menu, you can customize various options such as the number of posts to display, their ordering, and the title format using wildcards like %post_title and %post_author.

Comparing to Alternatives

Category Posts in Custom Menu offers a unique solution for displaying posts by category within menus, with several other plugins providing similar but distinct approaches.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and effective functionality for displaying category posts in menus
High user satisfaction with a 4.8-star average rating
Compatible with WordPress multisite installations
Addresses a gap in WordPress core functionality
No known security vulnerabilities reported

Weaknesses

Recent update (version 1.4.0) caused menu breakage for some users
No pro version available, limiting advanced feature options
Limited support for complex menu customizations
Some users experienced usability issues after updates

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star reviews and very few low ratings, users generally praise the plugin's simplicity and effectiveness, though a small minority report issues following recent updates.

Positive highlights

Just nice, simple and effective! (mocotoo)
Works perfectly with WordPress 5.2.4 and Multisite (FabriSS)
Life saver for adding posts by category to menus (philipsacht)
Incredibly useful plugin exactly as needed (samuelashbrook)

Common complaints

Version 1.4.0 update breaks the menu functionality without notice
Working version removed from archive causing frustration

Weaknesses

Update management causing usability problems
Lack of advanced features due to no pro version
Potential instability after updates

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who need a straightforward, reliable way to display posts by category within their WordPress menus, especially those valuing simplicity and core functionality enhancement.

Not ideal for

Users requiring advanced menu customization features or those who prefer plugins with active pro versions and extensive update support may find this plugin less suitable.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides the core functionality to display posts by category in custom menus, fulfilling the primary use case effectively.

Final Verdict

Category Posts in Custom Menu fills a niche by enabling post listings by category within menus, a feature absent in WordPress core. It enjoys high user satisfaction for its simplicity and effectiveness, with no known security issues. However, recent updates have caused some breakage, which may concern users sensitive to plugin stability.

While it lacks a pro version and advanced features, it remains a valuable tool for users needing this specific functionality. Those requiring more complex menu solutions or robust update support might consider alternatives, but for straightforward category post menus, this plugin is a solid choice.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Category Posts in Custom Menu plugin.

dynamic menu

category posts

custom taxonomy

Screenshots

FAQ

Here’s a walkthrough:

Create a post with title “Post 1” and add a _new_ category “Category A”
Save the post
Go to Appearances > Menus (or via Appearance > Customize or Appearance > Editor, in WordPress 5.4 or higher)
Add your category named “Category A”
Open the menu item and check “Create submenu containing posts in this category.”
Save the menu

If you now look at your website, “Category A” is replaced by “Post 1”. Add additional posts to Category A and you will automatically see these additional posts in the menu.