wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “team grid”
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 “team grid”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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 Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.4★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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.
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #1 2 
Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91)
wp.org #6 7 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑3 1 too low 9 
Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #21 ↓2 11 too low 11 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #24 13 too low 12 
Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too low 13 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 
Team Builder – Team Member Showcase With Grid and slider, Compatible With Elementor, Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.5★ (142)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Team Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (53)
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode 900+ · 4.6★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 10 too high 19 
Loop Grid Extender for Elementor – ACF Repeater & Smart Filters 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Team Builder Member Showcase 1K+ · 3.8★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
WP Team – WordPress Team Member Plugin 500+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑3 5 too high 23 
Fancy Post Grid – Ultimate Post Grid Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Flexi Post Grid 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑2 5 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.