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← Rankings

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

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 update”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 WP Admin Notifications shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 3K+ 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

Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 133 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. 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 #2 3 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #5 6 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #7 8 Disable WordPress Update Notifications and auto-update Email Notifications 10K+ · 4.2★ (19) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #23 13 too low 11 LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 U Update Control 4K+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Search & Replace Everything – Quick and Easy Way to Find and Replace Text, Links 20K+ · 4.7★ (26) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 Disable Updates – Updates Manager, Disable Automatic Updates, Disable All Updates 9K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Hide Dashboard Notifications 20K+ · 3.9★ (33) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 ↑1 8 too high 21 Hide Cart Functions 3K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Hide WP Admin Notifications 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 12 too high 24 H Hide Update WP Message 40+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.