wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html comment remove.”
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 “html comment remove.”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
Minify HTML 10K+ · 4.7★ (33)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Email Template Designer – WP HTML Mail 20K+ · 4.8★ (87)
wp.org #7 8 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #16 17 
Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219)
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #5 17 too high 23 
Comments Extra Fields For Post,Pages and CPT 500+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Remove Broken Images 700+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.