diff --git a/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/items/AbstractItem.qml b/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/items/AbstractItem.qml
--- a/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/items/AbstractItem.qml
+++ b/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/items/AbstractItem.qml
@@ -77,19 +77,21 @@
 
 //BEGIN CONNECTIONS
 
-    onEffectiveStatusChanged: updateItemVisibility(abstractItem);
+    property int creationId // used for item order tie breaking
+    onEffectiveStatusChanged: updateItemVisibility(abstractItem)
+    onCategoryChanged: updateItemVisibility(abstractItem)
+    onTextChanged: updateItemVisibility(abstractItem)
+    Component.onCompleted: {
+        creationId = root.creationIdCounter++
+        updateItemVisibility(abstractItem)
+    }
 
     onContainsMouseChanged: {
         if (hidden && containsMouse) {
             root.hiddenLayout.hoveredItem = abstractItem
         }
     }
 
-    Component.onCompleted: updateItemVisibility(abstractItem);
-
-    //dangerous but needed due how repeater reparents
-    onParentChanged: updateItemVisibility(abstractItem);
-
 //END CONNECTIONS
 
     PulseAnimation {
diff --git a/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/main.qml b/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/main.qml
--- a/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/main.qml
+++ b/applets/systemtray/package/contents/ui/main.qml
@@ -50,47 +50,86 @@
 
     property alias statusNotifierModel: statusNotifierModel
 
+    property int creationIdCounter: 0
+
     property Component plasmoidItemComponent
 
     Plasmoid.onExpandedChanged: {
         if (!plasmoid.expanded) {
             dialog.visible = plasmoid.expanded;
         }
     }
 
+    // temporary hack to fix known broken categories
+    // should go away as soon as fixes are merged
+    readonly property var categoryOverride: {
+        "org.kde.discovernotifier": "SystemServices",
+        "org.kde.plasma.networkmanagement": "Hardware",
+        "org.kde.kdeconnect": "Hardware",
+        "org.kde.plasma.keyboardindicator": "Hardware",
+        "touchpad": "Hardware"
+    }
+
+    readonly property var categoryOrder: [
+        "UnknownCategory", "ApplicationStatus", "Communications",
+        "SystemServices", "Hardware"
+    ]
+    function indexForItemCategory(item) {
+        if (item.itemId == "org.kde.plasma.notifications") {
+            return -1
+        }
+        var i = categoryOrder.indexOf(categoryOverride[item.itemId] || item.category)
+        return i == -1 ? categoryOrder.indexOf("UnknownCategory") : i
+    }
+
+    // return negative integer if a < b, 0 if a === b, and positive otherwise
+    function compareItems(a, b) {
+        var categoryDiff = indexForItemCategory(a) - indexForItemCategory(b)
+        var textDiff = (categoryDiff != 0 ? categoryDiff : a.text.localeCompare(b.text))
+        return textDiff != 0 ? textDiff : b.creationId - a.creationId
+    }
+
+    function moveItemAt(item, container, index) {
+        if (container.children.length == 0) {
+            item.parent = container
+        } else {
+            if (index == container.children.length) {
+                var other = container.children[index - 1]
+                if (item != other) {
+                    plasmoid.nativeInterface.reorderItemAfter(item, other)
+                }
+            } else {
+                var other = container.children[index]
+                if (item != other) {
+                    plasmoid.nativeInterface.reorderItemBefore(item, other)
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    function reorderItem(item, container) {
+        var i = 0;
+        while (i < container.children.length &&
+               compareItems(container.children[i], item) <= 0) {
+            i++
+        }
+        moveItemAt(item, container, i)
+    }
+
     function updateItemVisibility(item) {
         switch (item.effectiveStatus) {
         case PlasmaCore.Types.HiddenStatus:
-            if (item.parent == invisibleEntriesContainer) {
-                return;
+            if (item.parent != invisibleEntriesContainer) {
+                item.parent = invisibleEntriesContainer;
             }
-
-            item.parent = invisibleEntriesContainer;
             break;
 
         case PlasmaCore.Types.ActiveStatus:
-            if (visibleLayout.children.length == 0) {
-                item.parent = visibleLayout;
-            //notifications is always the first
-            } else if (visibleLayout.children[0].itemId == "org.kde.plasma.notifications" &&
-                       item.itemId != "org.kde.plasma.notifications") {
-                plasmoid.nativeInterface.reorderItemAfter(item, visibleLayout.children[0]);
-            } else if (visibleLayout.children[0] != item) {
-                plasmoid.nativeInterface.reorderItemBefore(item, visibleLayout.children[0]);
-            }
+            reorderItem(item, visibleLayout)
             break;
 
         case PlasmaCore.Types.PassiveStatus:
-
-            if (hiddenLayout.children.length == 0) {
-                item.parent = hiddenLayout;
-            //notifications is always the first
-            } else if (hiddenLayout.children[0].itemId == "org.kde.plasma.notifications" &&
-                       item.itemId != "org.kde.plasma.notifications") {
-                plasmoid.nativeInterface.reorderItemAfter(item, hiddenLayout.children[0]);
-            } else if (hiddenLayout.children[0] != item) {
-                plasmoid.nativeInterface.reorderItemBefore(item, hiddenLayout.children[0]);
-            }
+            reorderItem(item, hiddenLayout)
             item.x = 0;
             break;
         }