7 Best Custom Category Templates Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Custom Category Templates has 3,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 7 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 7 closest alternatives to Custom Category Templates
- 1
Custom Post Template
Closest match4.8 (43) 10,000+ active installsProvides a drop-down to select different templates for posts from the post edit screen. The templates replace single.php for the specified post.
Shares the template, theme tags on WordPress.org. About 3.3 times the installs, no update since November 28, 2017.
- 2
4.7 (50) 10,000+ active installsSelect different Themes for one or more WordPress Pages, Posts or other non-Admin pages. Or Site Home.
Shares the template, theme tags on WordPress.org. About 3.3 times the installs, no update since March 6, 2025.
- 3
4.0 (24) 30,000+ active installsThe Custom Field Template plugin extends the functionality of custom fields.
Shares the template tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated 27 days ago.
- 4
4.0 (24) 1,000+ active installsCreate content templates for your posts and pages. When creating a new post or page use one of your content templates as the starting point!
Shares the template tag on WordPress.org. About a third of the installs, last updated November 26, 2025.
- 5
Fullwidth Templates for Any Theme & Page Builder
4.7 (42) 20,000+ active installsWhen using a Page Builder, things like page title, boxed layout usually limit your creativity. This plugin helps you go fullwidth on any* theme.
Shares the template tag on WordPress.org. About 6.7 times the installs, last updated 14 days ago.
- 6
4.5 (21) 10,000+ active installsCustom blocks for WordPress made easy.
Shares the template tag on WordPress.org. About 3.3 times the installs, last updated April 20, 2026.
- 7
4.9 (39) 2,000+ active installsLoops & Logic is a template system with content loops and conditions.
Shares the template tag on WordPress.org. About half the installs, last updated 4 days ago.
Switching from Custom Category Templates: common questions
What is the best alternative to Custom Category Templates?
Custom Post Template is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 10,000+ active installs with a 4.8 out of 5 rating.
Which Custom Category Templates alternative has the most users?
Custom Field Template, with 30,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Custom Category Templates alternative is rated highest?
Multiple Themes, rated 4.7 out of 5 by 50 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Custom Category Templates alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Custom Category Templates score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Custom Category Templates on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Custom Post Template is the closest match to Custom Category Templates by the data we track, and Custom Field Template has the widest reach with 30,000+ active installs. Loops & Logic shipped the most recent release, on September 3, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
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What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.