wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide block”

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 block”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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

VK Block Patterns shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100K+ 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

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #1 2

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3

WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #4 ↑1 5

Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #5 ↓2 6

Easy Hide Login 20K+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #6 ↑3 7

PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8

Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #10 ↓4 2 too low 9

IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #8 ↑10 1 too high 10

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #7 3 too high 11

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #22 11 too low 12

Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13

Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) heavy footprint wp.org #16 ↓6 3 too low 14

Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #23 ↓3 9 too low 15

Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) heavy footprint wp.org #20 ↑3 5 too low 16

Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) heavy footprint wp.org #19 ↑5 3 too low 17

WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44) wp.org #14 3 too high 18

LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19

Social Sharing Block 7K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20

Block Manager 4K+ · 4.9★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21

Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 6 too high 22

Responsive Block Control – Hide blocks based on display width 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23

Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24

VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #11 13 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.