wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mobile detect”

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 “mobile detect”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Mobile Smart App Banner shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too low 2

Mobile Detect 3K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5

Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6

Conditional Display for Mobile – Mobile Detect Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #2 4 too high 7

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9

Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #14 5 too low 10

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #11 ↑4 1 too low 11

iubenda | All-in-one Compliance for GDPR / CCPA Cookie Consent + more 200K+ · 4.7★ (397) wp.org #17 ↑2 6 too low 12

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #20 ↑4 8 too low 13

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14

Any Mobile Theme Switcher 20K+ · 4.8★ (244) closure risk wp.org #16 2 too low 15

ThumbPress – Compress Images, Manage Thumbnails, Detect Image Issues, WebP/AVIF, Lazy Loading, Hotlinking & More 20K+ · 3.7★ (117) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #5 ↓1 11 too high 17

Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18

Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 4 too low 20

Mobile Smart App Banner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 13 too high 21

Detect Missing Adblocker 50+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #12 9 too high 22

isMobile() Shortcode for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Device Detect 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24

The Menu: Custom mobile navigation with icons 400+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓2 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.