Hide/Remove Metadata vs WP Custom Author URL (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, WP Custom Author URL has a higher user rating (5/5 from 8 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 WP Custom Author URL has 27K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Hide/Remove Metadata | WP Custom Author URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.6/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 14 | ◄ | 8 |
| Active Installs | 20K+ | ◄ | 5.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 292K+ | ◄ | 27K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 3 weeks ago | ◄ | 1 year ago |
| First Released | 2019 | 2019 | |
| Age | 7 years | 7 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.9+ | 3.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.0 | 2.1.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Hide/Remove Metadata
WP Custom Author URL
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Hide/Remove Metadata averaged approximately 510 daily downloads while WP Custom Author URL averaged 5.
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
WP Custom Author URL Reviews
Great plugin!
It works perfectly -> Twenty Twenty-One -> 6.1. Thakns Mr Chris Allen.
Very good plugin
It therefore allows us to modify the author’s link in order to create a redirect anywhere. You can define a different link for each author, or a link for all the authors. In addition, it also makes it
A brilliant plugin
A brilliant plugin. Now you can create custom author pages and have the author link under a post point directly to the corresponding page. This can be set individually for each user in the profile. Al
More Author Worth Comparing
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Allows an admin (or capable user) to edit the author slug of a user, and change the author base.
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Easily display your author/user profile info inside WordPress widget.
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 WP Custom Author URL more popular?
Which has better ratings — Hide/Remove Metadata or WP Custom Author URL?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.