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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “minimal responsive”

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 “minimal responsive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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.

Ranked above its merit

Portfolio Responsive Gallery shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #1 2 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Pricing Table by Supsystic – Responsive Pricing Plans & Comparison Tables 10K+ · 4.1★ (288) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Block Responsive – Make Editor Blocks Responsive Easily 800+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 HTML5 Video Player – embed fast, responsive videos with ease 20K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 Photo Gallery by Re Gallery: Responsive Image Gallery with AI SEO 700+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Responsive Addons for Elementor – Free Elementor Addons, Kits and Elementor Templates 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Dessky Responsive Slider 70+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Pricing Table – Responsive & Easy 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Responsive Navigation Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Plover Kit – Blocks, Patterns, Responsive Layout and Gutenberg Editor Enhancements 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Slider and Carousel Block – Responsive, Accessible 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Portfolio Responsive Gallery 200+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Tabs Block – Responsive Gutenberg Tabs for Block Editor 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Logo Carousel – showcase client logos professionally 800+ · 4.0★ (2) 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.