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

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 navigation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 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

Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1025 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003) wp.org #1 2

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #5 ↓3 6

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7

Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10

Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress 30K+ · 4.7★ (1025) wp.org #24 ↓2 14 too low 11

WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256) wp.org #23 ↓2 12 too low 12

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↑1 10 too low 13

Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too low 14

Responsive Slider Gallery – Responsive Image Photo Slider 2K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15

Responsive Slideshow – Photo Carousel 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too high 16

Responsive Navigation Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↓2 10 too high 17

Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #17 ↓3 18

Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19

Responsive Thumbnail Slider 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too high 20

Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 21

Responsive Addons for Elementor – Free Elementor Addons, Kits and Elementor Templates 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22

Classic Menu in Navigation Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓4 1 too high 23

Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓2 12 too high 24

Toast Mobile Menu – Fast & Lightweight Responsive Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓2 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.