wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “responsive bar”
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 bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Easy Notification Bar shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 16 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003)
wp.org #1 2 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (576)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 
Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #19 ↑4 6 too low 14 
Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 
Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39)
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38)
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
Freetop – Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (40)
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Easy Notification Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
Responsive Thumbnail Slider 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 
Responsive Addons for Elementor – Free Elementor Addons, Kits and Elementor Templates 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.