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

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 checker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 4 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

Responsive Checker & Device Preview – Mobile Responsive Testing, Simulator & Developer Tools shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 266 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Responsive Gallery Grid 4K+ · 4.7★ (66) wp.org #1 2 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 iNext Woo Pincode Checker 600+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Advanced iFrame 40K+ · 4.4★ (54) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #21 ↓1 11 too low 11 Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Responsive Portfolio Image Gallery – Portfolio Gallery 100+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Joli Table Of Contents – Table of Contents with Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 7K+ · 4.9★ (43) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 a3 Responsive Slider 200+ · 2.6★ (8) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 WP24 Domain Check 4K+ · 4.3★ (32) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 Filikod – Alt Text Checker & Bulk Image Alt Text Editor 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 WP Site Checker – Speed, Security & QA Monitoring 10+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 Dominion – Domain Checker for WPBakery 50+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Responsive Checker & Device Preview – Mobile Responsive Testing, Simulator & Developer Tools 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 16 too high 24 Axeptio – Cookie Banner – GDPR Consent & Compliance with a friendly touch 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.