Async JavaScript
by David Clough · Performance
Also makes 1 other plugin · 60K+ installs across the portfolio →
Async Javascript lets you add 'async' or 'defer' attribute to scripts to exclude to help increase the performance of your WordPress website.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 58/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
60K+
≈70K estimated
Momentum
+35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “async” for “async javascript”. “async” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “async javascript” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
58 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.9%
of downloads still active
At least 60K of 2.1M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,103 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
45/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
Details
- Version
- 2.21.08.31
- Last updated
- 3.4y ago
- Added
- 2014-12-11 · 11 yrs old
- Requires WP
- 4.6
- Tested up to
- 6.2.15
- Requires PHP
- —
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1227 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.2.15; the current branch is 6.8
4.7★ over 102 reviews, smoothed to 4.50★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1227 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
30
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 22d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 22d
-0.5
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| async javascript | #9 | #8 | 0 |
| async your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| javascript your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| pagespeed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| render blocking your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
4 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 3 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “async” for “async javascript”. “async” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “async javascript” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 8.7K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
3.4y ago
latest release · v2.21.08.31 · 22 Jun 2023
49
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 93% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “60K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 70K.
Install history since 18 Jun 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.21.08.31 workaround for issues with some inline JS getting asynced (hat tip to WP Bullet’s Mike) 2.21.08.31
- — Version 2.21.06.29 fix for an authenticated stored XSS vulnerability, credits to m0ze for discovering confirmed working with WordPress 5.8 (beta) 2.21.06.29
- — Version 2.20.12.09 fix for some ternary operators warning in PHP 7.4 and up. hard-exclude document.write (WordPress core injects inline JS that has in it which AsyncJS acted on) fix for WordPress 5.6 renaming jQuery from jquery.js into jqu 2.20.12.09
- — Version 2.20.03.01 extra security measure; check the nonce when saving settings/ going through wizard. wizard: if something fails then communicate this onscreen instead of on the console. autoptimize integration: change copy to explain thi 2.20.03.01
- — Version 2.20.02.27 fix for some nasty issues, thanks for the heads-up Mikey 2.20.02.27
- — Version 2.19.07.14 add asyncjs_filter_noptimize filter changed textdomain to match slug as suggested by Eneko Garrido confirmed working with WordPress 5.2 2.19.07.14
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.21.08.31). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2021-06-13 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.20.12.09 Patched in 2.21.06.29
- Patched Medium · 6.4 Async JavaScript <= 2.19.07.14 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2020-02-27 CVE-2020-36854 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.20.02.27 Patched in 2.20.02.27
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.8
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 18 languages, 9 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Async Javascript lets you add 'async' or 'defer' attribute to scripts to exclude to help increase the perfo..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 552 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "pagespeed", "render blocking" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-23 70K+ → 60K+ down after 190 days in tier
- 2026-04-16 80K+ → 70K+ down after 189 days in tier
- 2025-10-09 90K+ → 80K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-10-08 80K+ → 90K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-10-07 90K+ → 80K+ down after 163 days in tier
- 2025-04-27 100K+ → 90K+ down after 1832 days in tier
- 2020-04-21 90K+ → 100K+ up after 153 days in tier
- 2019-11-20 80K+ → 90K+ up after 76 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
W3 Total Cache 900K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Autoptimize 800K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Aruba HiSpeed Cache 100K+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Speculative Loading 70K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Async JavaScript into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/async-javascript" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Async JavaScript — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Async JavaScript: 60K+ active installs, 4.7★ (102 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/async-javascript
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