wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “exit overlay”
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 “exit overlay”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Simple Exit Notifier shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 212 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Exit Popup 1K+ · 4.1★ (24) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment 6K+ · 4.8★ (76)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #9 ↑2 4 too low 6 
Popup Maker – Responsive popup, Exit Intent Pop up, Email Optins, Autoresponder & More 7K+ · 4.5★ (144)
wp.org #6 7 
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Brave – Create Popup, Optins, Lead Generation, Survey, Sticky Elements & Interactive Content 20K+ · 4.8★ (209)
wp.org #15 7 too low 9 
Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Customer Engagement System – Popup Builder, Forms, CRM & Email Marketing Automation 9K+ · 4.5★ (340)
wp.org #20 10 too low 11 
Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↓2 7 too low 12 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #23 ↓4 11 too low 13 
Icegram Engage – Popups, Welcome Bars, Optins, Slide-Ins & Lead Generation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (370) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 
Advanced Popups 60K+ · 4.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 
Poptics – Popup Builder, Email Opt-ins, Exit-Intent & WooCommerce Popups Sales 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 
Breadcrumbs Divi Module 10K+ · 4.5★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 Simple Exit Notifier 100+ · 4.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #3 15 too high 19 
Popup Box – Easily Create WordPress Popups 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Modal Window – create popup modal window 10K+ · 3.8★ (36)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
FooConvert – AI Popup Builder for Flyouts, Overlays & Bars 100+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓3 11 too high 22 
Modal Popup Box — Popup Maker & Popup Builder 2K+ · 3.5★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
OffCanvas / Drawer – add sleek slide-in panels to any page 900+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 7 too high 24 
Popup for Elementor 1K+ · 1.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.