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

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 user”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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 Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability shows at wp.org #16 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 20 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #1 2

User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288) wp.org #2 3

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #3 4

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #4 5

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 3 too high 9

Smart User Slug Hider 2K+ · 4.9★ (55) wp.org #8 1 too high 10

WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 1 too low 12

User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 1 too high 13

New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #15 2 too low 14

One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #13 1 too high 15

User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112) wp.org #20 5 too low 16

Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17

Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #14 3 too high 18

WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19

LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20

Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #16 4 too high 21

ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22

Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Hide/Remove Metadata 20K+ · 3.6★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

Hide Category by User Role for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.3★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24

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.