A meta-analysis of plant-soil feedback (PSF) experiments reveals that most plants exhibit a medium negative effect size, indicating that they create soils that reduce the growth of conspecifics. Annual and early-successional species showed very large negative PSFs, supporting the hypothesis that PSFs accelerate species replacement and promote succession. Non-native plants did not benefit from PSFs in general, but in studies comparing non-native and native species, non-natives showed some benefit. Grasses had more negative PSFs than forbs, shrubs, and trees. Experiments using sterilized/inoculated soils, greenhouses, and manipulative methods exaggerated PSFs compared to those using whole field soils, field conditions, and natural experiments. The study highlights the importance of PSFs in plant community assembly but emphasizes the need for field-based testing. PSFs were more negative in controlled experiments than in natural conditions, suggesting that field conditions may produce less negative effects. The findings support the role of PSFs in maintaining plant diversity and succession, but also indicate that non-native plants may have less negative PSFs, making them more likely to invade native communities. The study underscores the importance of considering experimental methods and ecological contexts when interpreting PSF results.A meta-analysis of plant-soil feedback (PSF) experiments reveals that most plants exhibit a medium negative effect size, indicating that they create soils that reduce the growth of conspecifics. Annual and early-successional species showed very large negative PSFs, supporting the hypothesis that PSFs accelerate species replacement and promote succession. Non-native plants did not benefit from PSFs in general, but in studies comparing non-native and native species, non-natives showed some benefit. Grasses had more negative PSFs than forbs, shrubs, and trees. Experiments using sterilized/inoculated soils, greenhouses, and manipulative methods exaggerated PSFs compared to those using whole field soils, field conditions, and natural experiments. The study highlights the importance of PSFs in plant community assembly but emphasizes the need for field-based testing. PSFs were more negative in controlled experiments than in natural conditions, suggesting that field conditions may produce less negative effects. The findings support the role of PSFs in maintaining plant diversity and succession, but also indicate that non-native plants may have less negative PSFs, making them more likely to invade native communities. The study underscores the importance of considering experimental methods and ecological contexts when interpreting PSF results.