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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide plugins update message”

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 plugins update message”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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.

H

Ranked above its merit

Hide Plugins Update Message shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 60+ 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 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 Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too low 7 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) wp.org #7 ↑4 4 too high 12 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too low 14 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #14 ↑1 15 Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #18 19 Search & Replace Everything – Quick and Easy Way to Find and Replace Text, Links 20K+ · 4.7★ (26) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Hide Cart Functions 3K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 H Hide Plugins Update Message 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↓1 17 too high 22 My Wp Brand – Hide menu & Hide Plugin 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 H Hide Update WP Message 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Ignore Or Disable Plugin Update 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 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.