wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “widget hide”
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 “widget hide”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
LWS Hide Login shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 2528 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.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #2 3 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #3 4 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15 
Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512)
wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 LWS Hide Login 20K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 
MM Title Manager — Hide Page and Post Titles 10K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 
Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62)
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 
WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.