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

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 shortcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

AWSM Team – Team Showcase Plugin shows at wp.org #5 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 10 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

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1387 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

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

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #3 4

Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #6 2 too low 5

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7

Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #7 8

Team Members 20K+ · 4.2★ (53) wp.org #8 9

Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #21 12 too low 10

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387) wp.org #24 14 too low 11

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #17 ↑7 6 too low 12

Team Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (53) wp.org #10 2 too high 13

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #22 9 too low 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

AWSM Team – Team Showcase Plugin 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↓1 10 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 #12 4 too high 17

Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 6 too high 18

Team List 100+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #20 2 too low 19

List Child Pages Shortcode 600+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20

Team Builder Member Showcase 1K+ · 3.8★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 6 too high 21

WP Team – WordPress Team Member Plugin 500+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #13 8 too high 22

Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23

immonex Kickstart Team 300+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

Team Section Block – Showcase Team Members with Layout Options 1K+ · 3.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #15 9 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.