One thing I've learned from a decade in open-source software, its that you don't have to respond to your critics.
There are few more opinionated groups of people than open-source software users. They have options about all sorts of random stuff, including your project. Some of them will be positive. Some may be valid criticisms. Some will be nonsense. And some will simply be based on incorrect or out-of-date information.
But, as per https://xkcd.com/386/, you don't have to respond to every wrong person on the Internet.
Instead, it's often better to let your work stand for itself. One person complaining on social media or Reddit isn't likely to ruin the long-term reputation of your project. Often your time and mental/emotional energy is better spent fixing a bug or adding a feature than trying to convince a skeptic.
The real measure of the quality of your project is in whether or not it's useful for people.
That's my philosophy, anyway.
