Hide/Remove Metadata vs Guest Author (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Guest Author has a higher user rating (4.2/5 from 14 reviews) while Hide/Remove Metadata leads in active installations (20K+ vs 5.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Hide/Remove Metadata has accumulated 292K+ total downloads while Guest Author has 72K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Hide/Remove Metadata | Guest Author | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.6/5 | ► | 4.2/5 |
| Total Reviews | 14 | 14 | |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 5.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 292K+ | ◄ | 72K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 4 months ago |
| First Released | 2019 | 2018 | |
| Age | 7 years | 8 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.9+ | 4.6+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 5.2.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.0 | 2.61 |
Rating Breakdown
Hide/Remove Metadata
Guest Author
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Hide/Remove Metadata averaged approximately 510 daily downloads while Guest Author averaged 17.
Recent Reviews
Hide/Remove Metadata Reviews
Doesn’t do anything at all
Does nothing in css or php. Useless.
Did not work using the CSS options, but the PHP option worked well
The CSS option didn’t do anything for my site, but when I selected the PHP option, it removed the date as it was supposed to. It has an option to remove the author too, but I didn’t try that as I d
Working fine on WordPress 6.1.1
PHP option remove the icon as well, working fine on WordPress 6.1.1
Guest Author Reviews
What they call support is rather weird
There was another comment that I’m simply repeating here because it describes my situation exactly – after three years, nothing has changed:“They don’t test their plugin with the best/highest selling
Feature request: nofollow the guest author URL
The plugin works as advertised and is quite simple and handy. I have one request though. These days nofollowing the URL might be suitable for some admins. So it is missing.
Personal URL not working
My site use the themes “Twenty Twenty-Two”. Custom URLs will not appear on the name.
More Author Worth Comparing
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Disable Author Archives completely removes author archives and makes the web server return status code 404 ('Not Found') instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hide/Remove Metadata or Guest Author more popular?
Which has better ratings — Hide/Remove Metadata or Guest Author?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.