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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “remove comments”

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 “remove comments”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Turn Comments Off shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #1 2 WP Comment Cleaner – Delete All Comments, Disable Comments, Bulk Delete & Remove Comments 20K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #2 3 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 Disable Comments & Delete All Comments 9K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #4 5 Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) wp.org #5 6 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #20 ↓3 12 too low 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #21 ↑1 12 too low 10 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #11 ↑8 12 Social comments by WpDevArt 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #17 ↓5 5 too low 13 Smart Attachment Page Remove 900+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Simply Disable Comments 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Bulk Delete Comments 5K+ · 3.8★ (13) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Lazy Social Comments 900+ · 4.5★ (19) wp.org #23 ↓3 7 too low 17 XO Security 30K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓3 7 too low 18 Turn Comments Off 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 MM Comment Manager — Disable Comment Box, Hide Existing Comments and Stop Spam 800+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 Comment Form WP – Customize Default Comment Form 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Remove Broken Images 700+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too high 23 GDPR Tools: comment ip removement 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Comments Shield – Disable Comments & Stop Spam, Bulk Delete & Remove Comments 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓2 11 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.