The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow)
by Abhishek Deshpande · Performance
Also makes 1 other plugin · 200+ installs across the portfolio →
Disable unused WordPress features and remove bloat. 120 switches for performance, security and WooCommerce — pure PHP, no .htaccess, no upsell.
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
A 86/100
Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈200 estimated
Momentum
-38%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “bloat”, “core web vitals” and “optimize” for “remove bloat”, “switches” and “autosave”. “bloat” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “remove bloat” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “core web vitals” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “switches” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “optimize” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “autosave” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 69 average across 1,807 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.0%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 10.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,101 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.
This plugin shipped 29 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 6 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 6 reviews, smoothed to 4.20★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
50
Momentum
Holding steady
+0.9
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
39%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| slow | #1 | #3 | up 1 |
| off | #7 | #18 | up 6 |
| remove bloat | #7 | #19 | up 5 |
| switch | #17 | #23 | up 6 |
| switches | #16 | #21 | — |
| slow wordpress | #11 | #23 | 0 |
| autosave | #23 | #16 | up 1 |
| prerender | #24 | #11 | down 3 |
| bloat your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| core web vitals your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| optimize your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| speed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
98 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 90 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 “bloat”, “core web vitals” and “optimize” for “remove bloat”, “switches” and “autosave”. “bloat” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “remove bloat” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “core web vitals” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “switches” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “optimize” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “autosave” sits at #23 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 · 1,487 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
29
releases in the last 12 months
6d ago
latest release · v1.14.0 · 25 Oct 2026
34
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band yesterday and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 200.
At the current install trend, crossing 300+ in roughly 886 days.
Install history since 10 Dec 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ sonalsinha218mo ago
This plugin does remove a lot of bloat and is recommended from the team at SKT Themes. We did test it with our free as well as premium themes and can definitely recommend it to be working and reducing a lot of bloat in WordPress to make it a faster web experience.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Hardeep Asrani8mo ago
Simple and effective.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Arjun H8mo ago
In a world full of bloat and complicated setup based plugins, right now this is the best, minimalist and perfect plugin I have seen.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Prathamesh Palve8mo ago
Simple Straight. No Nonsense Plugin. Loved it. Worked like a Charm!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Arvind Baraskar8mo ago
Very useful plugin for improving site performance. After activation, the website loads noticeably faster without requiring any technical adjustments. The setup process is straightforward and the plugin works effectively with default settings. A reliable option for anyone looking to enhance website speed with minimal effort.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sanyogg Shelar8mo ago
This plugin is amazing! Just install and activate — and the site becomes noticeably faster. No complicated settings, no technical configuration, nothing confusing. Perfect for anyone who wants speed without spending hours optimizing. Highly recommended for beginners and advanced users both!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 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
7 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 "Disable unused WordPress features and remove bloat. 120 switches for performance, security and WooCommerce..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 12 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 12 of 12 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you publish", "for teams").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Gutenberg, Yoast, Rank Math and 4 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 7 headings and 6 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 16,157 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("core web vitals", "Optimize", "speed" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-30 100+ → 200+ up after 9 days in tier
- 2026-10-21 200+ → 100+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-10-20 100+ → 200+ up after 430 days in tier
- 2025-08-16 90+ → 100+ up after 170 days in tier
- 2025-02-27 80+ → 90+ up after 446 days in tier
- 2023-12-09 70+ → 80+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-12-08 80+ → 70+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2023-12-06 70+ → 80+ up after 2 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).
-
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags A -
Autoptimize 800K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A - D Debloat – Remove Unused CSS, Optimize JS 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A
-
WP Performance Score Booster – Optimize Speed, Enable Cache & Page Preload 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Cachify 9K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-avoid-slow" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow): 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (6 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-avoid-slow
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