75 Plugins that Sneakily Slow Down Your WordPress Site
The Hidden Menace: How Slow WordPress Plugins Can Harm Your Website’s Performance
As a website owner, you’re likely aware of the importance of maintaining a fast and efficient website. Slow loading times can lead to increased bounce rates, poor search engine rankings, and a negative user experience. However, one common culprit that can slow down your WordPress website is often overlooked: slow plugins.
In this article, we’ll explore the types of slow WordPress plugins, the consequences of using them, and how to identify and optimize them to ensure your website runs smoothly.
What Are Slow WordPress Plugins?
Slow WordPress plugins are those that consume excessive resources, such as CPU, memory, and database queries, which can slow down your website’s loading speed. These plugins may be outdated, poorly optimized, or designed with inefficient algorithms.
Types of Slow WordPress Plugins
There are several types of slow WordPress plugins to watch out for:
1. Resource-Intensive Plugins: These plugins use excessive CPU power, memory, or other system resources, slowing down your website.
2. Database-Heavy Plugins: These plugins perform excessive database queries, leading to slow page loading times.
3. Overly Complex Plugins: These plugins have complex algorithms or large codebases, making them slow and resource-intensive.
Consequences of Using Slow WordPress Plugins
Using slow WordPress plugins can have severe consequences on your website’s performance:
1. Slow Page Loading Times: Slow plugins can cause pages to load slowly, negatively impacting user experience and search engine rankings.
2. Increased Bounce Rates: Slow websites can lead to higher bounce rates, as users lose patience and abandon the site.
3. Poor Search Engine Rankings: Slow websites can negatively impact search engine rankings, as search engines prioritize fast-loading sites.
How to Identify Slow WordPress Plugins
To identify slow WordPress plugins, follow these steps:
1. Monitor Website Performance: Use tools like Pingdom, GTmetrix, or WebPageTest to monitor your website’s performance and identify slow plugins.
2. Check Plugin Usage: Review plugin usage statistics to identify which plugins are consuming the most resources.
3. Check Plugin Reviews: Read reviews and ratings for plugins to identify potential issues with performance.
How to Optimize Slow WordPress Plugins
To optimize slow WordPress plugins, follow these steps:
1. Update Plugins: Regularly update plugins to ensure you have the latest optimized versions.
2. Configure Plugin Settings: Configure plugin settings to reduce resource usage and optimize performance.
3. Disable Unnecessary Plugins: Disable unnecessary plugins to reduce resource consumption.
4. Use Caching Plugins: Use caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache to reduce the load on your server.
5. Optimize Database Queries: Optimize database queries using plugins like WP DB Manager or Query Monitor.
Best Practices for Avoiding Slow WordPress Plugins
To avoid slow WordPress plugins in the future, follow these best practices:
1. Choose Lightweight Plugins: Opt for lightweight plugins with simple codebases and minimal resource consumption.
2. Read Reviews and Ratings: Research plugin reviews and ratings before installing to ensure they are well-optimized and reliable.
3. Monitor Website Performance: Regularly monitor your website’s performance to identify potential issues with slow plugins.
By following these tips and best practices, you can ensure your WordPress website runs smoothly, efficiently, and at lightning-fast speeds.
Here is the list from https://onlinemediamasters.com/slow-wordpress-plugins/ Copied and pasted as a backup and for quick organization – hope that’s okay. If not contact us and we’ll pull the table Go to their site for the rest of this post. Written by: “Yo, I’m Tom. I write about WordPress speed, hosting that’s not garbage, and a little SEO. Check out my bio which has 50 random and disturbing things about me with cat/travel pics!”
- Thank you Tom. This is very helpful. I have some plugins to review for this site and many others.
- Next up: We need faster solutions for finding the bad plugins that mess up our site. I found Query Monitor which has been very helpful. But sadly it’s on Tom’s list below. Have to check that out.
- When working on a site it’s annoying to have cache plugins going but caching helps a lot with your site’s speed. After testing a lot of caching plugins I found what seems to be the best. I’ll have to post about that soon.
x = has impact (bad)
✓ = has no or minimal impact (good)
| Plugin | Category | Memory Impact | PageSpeed Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| All In One SEO | SEO | x | x |
| AMP | Speed | x | ✓ |
| Analytify | Analytics | x | ✓ |
| AnyWhere Elementor | Page Builder | x | ✓ |
| Backup Buddy | Backup | x | ✓ |
| Beaver Builder | Page Builder | x | x |
| Booking Calendar | Calendar | x | x |
| Broken Link Checker | SEO | x | ✓ |
| Caldera Forms | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| Complianz | Cookie | x | ✓ |
| Defender Security | Security | x | ✓ |
| Disqus | Comments | ✓ | x |
| Divi Contact Form 7 | Page Builder | x | ✓ |
| Divi Builder | Page Builder | x | x |
| Elementor | Page Builder | x | x |
| Elementor Addon Elements | Page Builder | x | x |
| Elementor Essential Addons | Page Builder | ✓ | x |
| Elementor Extras | Contact Form | ✓ | x |
| Elementor Header & Footer Builder | Page Builder | ✓ | x |
| Elementor Premium Addons | Page Builder | ✓ | x |
| Elementor Pro | Page Builder | x | x |
| Elementor Ultimate Addons | Page Builder | ✓ | x |
| Essential Grid | Gallery | ✓ | x |
| Events Calendar | Calendar | x | x |
| Events Manager | Calendar | x | x |
| Everest Forms | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| FiboSearch | WooCommerce | x | ✓ |
| Final Tiles Grid | Gallery | x | x |
| Fluent Forms | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| FooGallery | Gallery | x | x |
| Forminator | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| Happyforms | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| iThemes Security | Security | x | ✓ |
| JetElements | Page Builder | x | x |
| Jetpack | Security | x | x |
| MailPoet | x | ✓ | |
| Livemesh Addons | Page Builder | x | x |
| Master Addons | Page Builder | x | x |
| Menu Image, Icons | Menu | x | x |
| Modern Events Calendar | Calendar | x | x |
| NextGEN Gallery | Gallery | x | x |
| Ninja Forms | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| Orbit Fox | Page Builder | x | ✓ |
| Paid Memberships Pro | Membership | x | ✓ |
| Post SMTP Mailer | x | ✓ | |
| Photo Gallery by 10Web | Gallery | x | x |
| Popup Builder | Popup | x | x |
| Popup Maker | Popup | x | x |
| PowerPack Lite | Page Builder | x | x |
| Prime Slider | Slider | x | x |
| Query Monitor | Analytics | x | ✓ |
| Responsive Lightbox | Gallery | x | x |
| Shield Security | Security | x | ✓ |
| Site Kit by Google | Analytics | x | ✓ |
| Slider Revolution | Slider | x | x |
| Slimstat Analytics | Analytics | x | ✓ |
| Smart Slider 3 | Slider | x | x |
| Social Media Share Buttons | Social Sharing | ✓ | x |
| Social Share Icons | Social Sharing | ✓ | x |
| Social Warfare | Social Sharing | x | x |
| Structured Content | Social Sharing | ✓ | x |
| Titan Anti-spam & Security | Security | x | ✓ |
| Total Upkeep | Backup | x | ✓ |
| Ultimate Member | Membership | x | ✓ |
| Unlimited Elements | Page Builder | x | x |
| User Menus | Menu | x | ✓ |
| Visual Portfolio | Gallery | x | x |
| WP Google Maps | Maps | x | x |
| WP AutoTerms | Cookie | x | ✓ |
| WP fail2ban | Security | x | ✓ |
| WPBakery | Page Builder | x | x |
| WooCommerce | WooCommerce | x | x |
| Wordfence | Security | x | ✓ |
| WP Hide & Security Enhancer | Security | x | ✓ |
| WP Mobile Menu | Menu | x | x |
| WP Statistics | Analytics | x | ✓ |
| wpDiscuz | Comments | x | x |
| WPForms | Contact Form | x | ✓ |
| WPML | Translate | x | x |
| WPvivid | Backup | x | ✓ |
| Yoast SEO | SEO | x | ✓ |
Lightweight Plugin Alternatives
- SEO – Rank Math (remember to disable unused modules).
- Backups – UpdraftPlus.
- Comments – native comments.
- Sliders – Soliloquy or MetaSlider.
- Gallery – Gutenberg Gallery or Meow Gallery.
- Analytics – Google Analytics + Google Search Console (ideally no plugins).
- Social Sharing – Grow Social is a fast social sharing plugin with less requests.
- Theme/Page Builder – GeneratePress, Blocksy, Kadence, Oxygen, or Genesis.
- No plugin – many things can be coded manually. Coding your header/footer in CSS instead of page builders, disabling Heartbeat, limiting autosaves/post revisions, etc.
Slow WordPress plugins are a common issue that can harm your website’s performance. By identifying and optimizing these plugins, you can improve your website’s speed, reduce bounce rates, and boost search engine rankings. Remember to choose lightweight plugins, monitor your website’s performance regularly, and configure plugin settings to optimize performance. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating a fast and efficient website that attracts and engages your audience.
75 Slow WordPress Plugins That Increase CPU Usage Or Add CSS/JS To The Frontend