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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable toolbar”

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 “disable toolbar”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Disable CSS JS Cache shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ 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

Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 441 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (100) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #4 5 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #13 ↑2 7 too low 7 Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #12 ↑8 5 too low 8 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 Shortcoder — Create Shortcodes for Anything 100K+ · 4.9★ (227) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Featherweight 10K+ · 4.1★ (45) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441) wp.org #20 ↑1 9 too low 12 Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #15 ↓4 3 too low 13 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #17 ↑7 3 too low 15 WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 A Admin Bar & Dashboard Access Control 3K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17 FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager 200K+ · 4.8★ (49) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 My WP Customize Admin/Frontend 8K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 JVM Rich Text Icons 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #21 22 Disable CSS JS Cache 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 Admin Toolbar Live Clock 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 4 too high 24 Environment & Debug Bar 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.