Hide/Remove Metadata vs Message to 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, Message to Author has a higher user rating (4.3/5 from 3 reviews) while Hide/Remove Metadata leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10). Both are free WordPress plugins. Hide/Remove Metadata has accumulated 292K+ total downloads while Message to Author has 3.8K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Hide/Remove Metadata | Message to Author | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.6/5 | ► | 4.3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 14 | ◄ | 3 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 10 |
| Total Downloads | 292K+ | ◄ | 3.8K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 3 years ago |
| First Released | 2019 | 2016 | |
| Age | 7 years | 10 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.9+ | 4.7+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.0 | 4.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Hide/Remove Metadata
Message to Author
Download Trends
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
Message to Author Reviews
No reviews yet
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.