wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide content”
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 content”, 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
Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 25 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Easy Table of Contents places #12 on merit, 4.4★ from 221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #1 2 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Easy Hide Login 20K+ · 4.4★ (43)
wp.org #4 ↑4 5 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #7 ↑4 2 too low 6 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↓4 2 too low 7 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #15 ↓3 5 too low 11 
Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54)
wp.org #6 ↑1 5 too high 12 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221)
wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 
WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44)
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 
LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓6 4 too high 17 Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↑6 8 too high 18 
Hide/Remove Metadata 20K+ · 3.6★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Timed Content 5K+ · 4.6★ (41)
wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 
MM Title Manager — Hide Page and Post Titles 10K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 
Hide Categories and Products for Woocommerce 10K+ · 4.1★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 
Hide WP Admin Notifications 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
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.