wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “responsive vertical menu”
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 vertical menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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 Tabs — Horizontal, Vertical & Accordion Tabs for WordPress shows at wp.org #5 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #1 2 
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 
WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Responsive Vertical Icon Menu 700+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 too high 8 
Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
QuadMenu – Mega Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (270)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 
Vertical News Scroller 5K+ · 4.3★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 Responsive Tabs — Horizontal, Vertical & Accordion Tabs for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #5 10 too high 16 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #16 17 
Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Vertical Image Slider – Responsive Thumbnail Slider with Lightbox 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25)
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 
Responsive Thumbnail Slider 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Responsive Addons for Elementor – Free Elementor Addons, Kits and Elementor Templates 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 
fullPage Vertical & Horizontal Slider – Snap Scroll Sections & More 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.