wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide admin menu plugin”
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 “hide admin menu plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Hide WP Admin Notifications shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 574 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #2 3 
WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #3 4 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #4 ↓2 5 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #9 ↑4 10 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #15 ↓10 5 too low 11 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too high 17 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Easy Hide Admin Menu Items 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 
Hide Admin Menu 10K+ · 4.9★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Hide WP Admin Notifications 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 11 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.