wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mobile 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 “mobile responsive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Styled Calendar – Customizable, Mobile Responsive Google Calendar Embeds shows at wp.org #11 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 19 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256) wp.org #1 2

Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3

WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4

Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #4 ↓2 5

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too low 8

Definitely allow mobile zooming 7K+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #8 ↑1 9

Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #14 ↓8 4 too low 11

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #16 ↑5 5 too low 12

Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … 20K+ · 4.2★ (169) wp.org #12 ↑1 13

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #24 10 too low 15

SlickNav Mobile Menu 3K+ · 4.8★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #10 5 too high 16

ShiftNav – Responsive Mobile Menu 10K+ · 4.6★ (68) wp.org #20 ↓4 4 too low 17

Specific Content For Mobile – Customize the mobile version without redirections 4K+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #15 2 too high 18

Styled Calendar – Customizable, Mobile Responsive Google Calendar Embeds 1K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #11 7 too high 19

WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 2 too high 20

Block Responsive – Make Editor Blocks Responsive Easily 800+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21

Responsive Slideshow – Photo Carousel 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #18 3 too high 22

Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↑1 23

Responsive Slider Gallery – Responsive Image Photo Slider 2K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24

Mobile Call Buttons 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 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.