Preload Images

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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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

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No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A small install base leaves thin data to model from.

1. ★★★★★ photoMaldives

   3.9y ago

   I wanted to trigger an animated GIF on hover. To implement this, I followed a simple online guide to *swap* an image on hover – set initial image as the first frame of your GIF, and the second image as the animated GIF itself. This worked perfectly on desktop, but there was a small but very annoying flash on mobile (on touch). Enter this plugin! I enabled the plugin for pages (setting), then copy/pasted the URL of my GIFs in the ‘Image URLs’ field on my specific page … and voila! The flash is history! Thanks to the plugin author – Ravikumar Patel (@ravipatel) – for such a simple and neat solution for my unique case. 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ PS: it took me longer to write a Support question followed by this review, than it did to actually apply the fix! 🙂

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Joey

   4.0y ago

   I run a photo gallery website for hobby using fancybox, and I’m happy to find this plugin! Initially I was searching for a solution with JavaScript, etc., but this is much easier way to preload images with relatively large file sizes. Thank you for the developers behind this!

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ wardencenter

   4.6y ago

   Sadly, the plugin does not work to preload a site’s background image when that image is specified in common image urls. Plus, when there is no image specified in the common image urls, the site loads as a blank page with what I can only describe as a spinning waiting icon. Once the spin is done the site does load smoothly with the background image. But, who wants clients seeing a site that loads with a spinning icon for 3 seconds? Hopefully they’ll update so that the background image can be specified in the common image urls, because it does seem an easy to use plugin.

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4. ★★★★★ Topher

   4.7y ago

   I found myself needing to pre-load some images and started to figure out how to do it by hand when I thought “If you have a need in WordPress, there’s probably a plugin for it.” So I went hunting and found this plugin. Gutenberg made it a little hard to see the meta box on Pages at first, but I found it. I REALLY like that you can preload per page/post, or have them global. Nicely done.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ rafaelbrasileirinho

   4.9y ago

   The plugin fix divi image loading error and glitches, and give for your website a speed boost helping in Google SEO.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ webdesignerz

   5.1y ago

   I am very thankful for this plugin, and of course the person/s who created it. My client wanted an image carousel as the homepage header, which resulted in short loading delays the first run through. Since using this plugin — no delays! Pretty cool stuff.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ cgrant13

   5.2y ago

   I use the Divi theme and I’ve had the plagued of not being able to preload images on a single page. You can always preload in functions but that’s for the whole site and this plugin gives you the ability to do it for single pages and not others. so You can preload multiple images without loading on other pages. Love this! Great work!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ Jimmy Lee

   5.8y ago

   Using the plugin to preload images above the fold that I have lazyload excluded. Brilliant plugin! Thanks you!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.6

Translated into 2 languages, 1 at 90% or more · development strings

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

No tier crossings observed yet.

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).

• Preload Featured Image 40+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags D
• Better Resource Hints 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
• Image Preloading 50+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
• LH HTTP/2 Server Push 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags D
• F Fast Forward 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags D
• Speculative Loading 70K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A

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Preload Images: 1K+ active installs, 4.6★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/preload-images