WP Remove Generator Meta Tag
by meagan hanes · Security
Also makes 1 other plugin · 500+ installs across the portfolio →
This plugin is designed to insert a piece of code into your WordPress website, which will automatically remove the WordPress version from your header.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈200 estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “generator”, “meta” and “security” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
46 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 11.7K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.1.0, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3943 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.1.0; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3943 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| generator your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| meta your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “generator”, “meta” and “security” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 181 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
10.8y ago
latest release · v15.01 · 15 Jan 2016
3
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band yesterday and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 200.
Install history since 17 Jan 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ boldly_going10.4y ago
The low rating is a surprise to me too. I installed on 4.5.2 and it works. Not sure if it has caused any conflicts yet but if it does, I’ll remove it with no complaints, after all it is only tested up to 4.1.0. and it was released to the community in good faith. It is so simple, install, activate, done. It starts working instantly. The point of this review is to speak up for plugin developers in general, who in this case have released a very practical useful plugin for free. They give their time and effort so that people like me can create something faster, better and safer, than if I (we) had to delve beyond basic code modification. So if anyone happens to read this, please show some restraint before leaving totally negative reviews. Why not compliment the idea of a plugin, explain why it didn’t work for you and say “Thanks for the effort” . If a plugin is just simply bad, then an honest rating should be applied but feedback to the author first would be a courteous approach and give the author a chance to offer support. It would be useful if the developers in this case could confirm its version compatibility beyond 4.1.0 as I am sure that more users would adopt it. I found it on a Google search, second result on page one, the search string being “wordpress remove meta tag plugin” I tried it just for the hell of it Anyway, thanks for sharing the product of your efforts
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ themadbaker12.1y ago
This very simply works fine – it’s easy enough to look at your page sources and check it – so not sure what the low ratings are about either.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Adam13.3y ago
Not sure why this one has such a low rating, it works fine and does what it says. I have installed it on about 10-15 sites (v3.3.1-3.5.2) with no problems so far.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This plugin is designed to insert a piece of code into your WordPress website, which will automatically rem..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Twitter.
- ! Headings and lists 2 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 462 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 0 of 3 tags appear in the text ("generator", "meta", "security" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-31 100+ → 200+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-10-27 200+ → 100+ down after 14 days in tier
- 2026-10-13 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-12 200+ → 100+ down after 718 days in tier
- 2024-10-24 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-10-23 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-10-22 300+ → 200+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-10-19 200+ → 300+ up after 1 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
Remove Meta Generators 1K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Hostinger Tools 3M+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ installs · 3.7★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Remove Generator Meta Tag into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/remove-generator-tag-for-wordpress" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Remove Generator Meta Tag — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Remove Generator Meta Tag: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/remove-generator-tag-for-wordpress
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