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

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 role”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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 Category by User Role for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288) wp.org #1 2 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #2 3 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #3 4 Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too low 8 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Remove admin menus by role 8K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Hide Dashboard Notifications 20K+ · 3.9★ (33) wp.org #23 ↓2 9 too low 15 WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 ELEX WooCommerce Role Based Pricing 2K+ · 4.1★ (14) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Hide Category by User Role for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Role Based Hide Adminbar 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 19 Membership & User Roles for WooCommerce (Automatic Role Changer) 400+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Hide Price Until Login 1K+ · 3.5★ (24) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Role Based Pricing for Woo by Meow Crew 2K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too high 22 Product Prices by User Roles for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.4★ (14) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Hide Price and Add to Cart for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Hide Menu Items by Role 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 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.