wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “auto hide”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “auto hide”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Disable Auto Update Emails and Block Updates for Plugins, WP Core, and Themes shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 537 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #2 3 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (398)
wp.org #3 4 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #10 6 too low 5 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463)
wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537)
wp.org #18 9 too low 10 
Auto Affiliate Links 2K+ · 4.1★ (39)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
WPFront Scroll Top 200K+ · 4.9★ (142)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #21 9 too low 13 
NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Auto Alt Text 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #7 7 too high 15 
Social Media Auto Poster – Schedule & Publish to Buffer 7K+ · 4.5★ (125)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #6 11 too high 18 
To Top 60K+ · 4.8★ (54)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 
Multi Page Auto Advance for Gravity Forms 2K+ · 4.3★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
Bit Social – Social Media Auto Poster and Scheduler 6K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Disable Auto Update Emails and Block Updates for Plugins, WP Core, and Themes 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 14 too high 24 
Order auto complete for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.