wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide upload”
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 upload”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20.
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 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 #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 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
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #2 3 
Iptanus File Upload 10K+ · 4.4★ (117)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #12 ↑11 7 too low 6 
LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #22 15 too low 8 
Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.0★ (25)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
Inline Image Upload for BBPress 3K+ · 4.6★ (65)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
MM Title Manager — Hide Page and Post Titles 10K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Hide Categories and Products for Woocommerce 10K+ · 4.1★ (29)
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Protect Uploads 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #9 3 too high 13 
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Easy Upload Files During Checkout 500+ · 4.7★ (60)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Hide Dashboard Notifications 20K+ · 3.9★ (33)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 
Hide Drafts in Menus 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 
Hide Cart Functions 3K+ · 4.6★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 
Hide Admin Bar 20K+ · 4.5★ (30)
wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Hide from Search 3K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 
Hide Trackbacks 300+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
Hide Price and Add to Cart for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Hide WP Admin Notifications 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 13 too high 24 
Hide Author Archive 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 9 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.