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

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 update message”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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.

H

Ranked above its merit

Hide Plugins Update Message shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 60+ 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

Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 807 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #1 2 Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59) wp.org #2 3 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #3 4 Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 M Message Filter for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 WP BrowserUpdate 1K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 OrderConvo – Vendor & Customer Messages After Orders 200+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) wp.org #20 21 Message Bridge for Contact Form 7 and Telegram 10K+ · 4.3★ (22) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 H Hide Update WP Message 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 H Hide Plugins Update Message 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 Checkout & Store Toolkit for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.