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

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 columns”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

Dashboard Columns shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ 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

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 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 Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #1 2 Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #2 3 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Equal Height Columns 10K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005) wp.org #11 ↑7 5 too low 7 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 Pricing Table by Supsystic – Responsive Pricing Plans & Comparison Tables 10K+ · 4.1★ (288) wp.org #18 ↑1 9 too low 10 Block Editor: Reverse Columns on Mobile 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #23 ↓6 12 too low 12 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #24 ↓4 12 too low 13 Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Responsive Thumbnail Slider 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Block Responsive – Make Editor Blocks Responsive Easily 800+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too low 18 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Dashboard Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 Responsive Addons for Elementor – Free Elementor Addons, Kits and Elementor Templates 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Pricing Table – Responsive & Easy 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 Responsive UI for Beaver Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 Responsive Table for Elementor 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 Advanced Columns Block: Layout builder 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓2 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.