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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “staff”

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 “staff”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly places #9 on merit, 4.4★ from 586 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #1 2 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #2 3 Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too low 4 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too high 5 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Simple Staff List 3K+ · 4.6★ (40) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #9 ↑9 2 too low 8 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #7 ↑13 1 too high 9 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #15 ↓7 6 too low 10 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #10 ↑11 11 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #14 ↑3 3 too low 12 SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) wp.org #12 ↓8 13 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #19 ↓4 6 too low 14 WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (286) wp.org #24 ↓2 10 too low 15 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (106) wp.org #23 ↓9 8 too low 16 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #17 ↓4 18 Employee Directory – Staff & Team Directory 100+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 Clock In Portal- Staff & Attendance Management 200+ · 3.9★ (11) wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too high 21 Bookit — Booking & Appointment Calendar 4K+ · 3.8★ (24) wp.org #22 ↓5 1 too low 22 Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #5 ↑1 17 too high 23 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too high 24 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) wp.org #20 ↓3 4 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.