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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “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 “responsive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Responsive Pricing Table places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 91 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003) wp.org #1 2 WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #2 3 Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Responsive Gallery Grid 4K+ · 4.7★ (66) wp.org #5 ↑3 6 Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … 20K+ · 4.2★ (169) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256) wp.org #12 ↓5 4 too low 9 Responsive Mortgage Calculator 7K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 Responsive Pricing Table 10K+ · 4.6★ (91) wp.org #22 ↓2 12 too low 11 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Responsive Slider Gallery – Responsive Image Photo Slider 2K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 Responsive Slideshow – Photo Carousel 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15 Responsive Tabs 4K+ · 4.2★ (41) wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #16 17 Block Responsive – Make Editor Blocks Responsive Easily 800+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Disable Responsive Images Complete 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Photospace Responsive Gallery 800+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Responsive Thumbnail Slider 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Simple YouTube Responsive 3K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 Enable Responsive Image 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↑1 15 too high 24 Responsive Tabs For Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.