wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide menu items”
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 menu items”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 Menu Items by Role shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 100+ 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
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #1 2 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #2 3 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #3 4 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 
Easy Hide Admin Menu Items 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #16 ↑1 17 
Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too low 18 
WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑3 19 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑2 2 too high 20 
MM Title Manager — Hide Page and Post Titles 10K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 
Hide/Remove Metadata 20K+ · 3.6★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 
Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓4 23 Hide Menu Items by Role 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 19 too high 24 
Missing Menu Items 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 3 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.