wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “overlays”
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 “overlays”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
FooConvert – AI Popup Builder for Flyouts, Overlays & Bars shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 250 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Flipbox – Awesomes Flip Boxes Image Overlay 9K+ · 4.7★ (149)
wp.org #1 2 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Overlay Image Divi Module 2K+ · 5.0★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54)
wp.org #10 11 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250)
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
WP Video Lightbox 30K+ · 4.3★ (67)
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page & Under Construction 10K+ · 4.8★ (317)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44)
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Super block slider – Image/video background & content slider 8K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
WPC Fly Cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 22 FooConvert – AI Popup Builder for Flyouts, Overlays & Bars 100+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 17 too high 23 
Advanced Popups 60K+ · 4.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
WPZOOM Portfolio Lite – Filterable Portfolio Plugin 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.