Speculative Loading vs Async JavaScript

Head-to-head on the signals that matter, from the public WordPress.org data.

Speculative Loading

by WordPress Performance Team

Health A89

Async JavaScript

by David Clough

Health D52

Active-install trajectory

Speculative LoadingAsync JavaScript

Active installs, each indexed to 100 at the start of the window. A line above 100 is growing its install base, below 100 is shrinking.

Metric	Speculative Loading	Async JavaScript
Active installs Modeled from the public "N+" band and recent downloads.	70K–80K ✓	60K–70K
Install trend Change in active installs across the charted window.	0% ✓	-25%
Overall health	A · 89 ✓	D · 52
Maintenance How recently the plugin was updated.	100/100 ✓	6/100
Rating quality Volume-adjusted review quality.	90/100	91/100 ✓
Support Share of forum threads marked resolved.	70/100	70/100
Rating (adjusted)	4.56★	4.60★ ✓
Reviews	18	102 ✓
Ranking optimization How well the listing is tuned to rank on wp.org.	95/100 ✓	61/100
Removal risk Maintenance signals that precede a wp.org closure. Not an official status.	Low ✓	Elevated
Last updated	2mo ago ✓	3.4y ago
Downloads · 30d	13.7K ✓	2.7K
Install conversion Active installs over lifetime downloads. Downloads include every update, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower.	14% ✓	2.9%
Category	Performance	Performance

✓ marks the stronger plugin on each row. Rows where they're level show no marker.

Release activity

Speculative LoadingAsync JavaScript

7-day average daily downloads. Downloads spike for about a week after each release as the install base re-downloads, so read this as release cadence, not growth.