wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “team section”

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 section”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 Section Block – Showcase Team Members with Layout Options shows at wp.org #2 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 22 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #1 2

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #6 3 too low 4

Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #4 5

Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #8 3 too low 6

Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #5 1 too high 7

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #14 7 too low 8

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10

Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #22 10 too low 13

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #21 8 too low 14

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #23 9 too low 15

AWSM Team – Team Showcase Plugin 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #7 8 too high 16

Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode 900+ · 4.6★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 2 too low 17

Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑1 8 too high 18

Parallax Section Block – Add Parallax Scrolling Effects to Sections 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19

Team Member Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑2 4 too high 20

Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #19 1 too high 21

WP Team – WordPress Team Member Plugin 500+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #20 1 too high 22

Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites 400+ · 5.0★ (1) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23

WBD Team Member – Gutenberg Block 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Team Section Block – Showcase Team Members with Layout Options 1K+ · 3.0★ (1) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 ↑1 22 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.