wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “team plugin”
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 plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
AWSM Team – Team Showcase Plugin shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #7 ↑4 1 too low 7 
Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too high 8 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↑7 10 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #14 ↑7 4 too low 11 
Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #24 ↓4 9 too low 16 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53)
wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too high 19 
Team Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (53)
wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 AWSM Team – Team Showcase Plugin 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 12 too high 21 
Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode 900+ · 4.6★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too low 22 
Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑2 10 too high 23 
Team Member Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
WP Team – WordPress Team Member Plugin 500+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 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.