Featherweight

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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 · 28% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

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 declining trend compresses what a buyer would pay.

1. ★★★★★ anze

   5.6y ago

   I use this plugin on all the sites I work on and it reduces speeds. I only wish author would update it more, because it would be a shame that such a great plugin would go to waste.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Tom

   5.9y ago

   This did a great job reducing useless requests and code for emojis, loading dashicons for non-admin users and things like that. It’s a simple install and, as mentioned, it is a free and open source plugin that competes nicely with some paid plugins. If you just want to get rid of emojis, try Autoptimize (the Extra settings) or Ryan Hellyer’s Disable Emojis plugin, but you’re still going to have all the other stuff this gets rid of. If you want to pay money, you can match this and maybe get rid of a bit more cruft with the perfmatters Premium plugin ($25/yr). In my experience, it’s pretty common for an optimization plugin to cause a 500 error. There are a lot of little things that can go wrong and if you are trying to push performance by doing things the platform (WordPress) is not designed to do (in fact is designed NOT to do), you have to be ready for some collateral damage. In my case, this plugin worked flawlessly, but I would recommend that any plugin like this be tested on a staging platform first and then deployed to a live site.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ eraumavez78

   6.0y ago

   Hello, This is my first review, and i am doing it, because the atual ranking is unfair. The plugin should have more positive reviews and more downloads. It’s a free plugin, with no adverstising. But have the same and more feature then premium or freemium plugins. Just compare it with perfmatters or clearfy (these last, don’t have Woocommerce configurations, for example). Lets be fair, install and compare all.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ S. Dufour

   6.3y ago

   I usually do not post reviews unless something is extremely good or extremely bad. This one falls into the EXTREMELY BAD category. It literally took my site down with a 500 error. I had to manually go into WP, delete the plugin folder, go into my DB and deactivate all the plugins there to finally be able to get into my admin menu and start reactivating those plugins that work. If you try to do a CLI uninstall through the php script, it returns an error. STAY AWAY.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Sean Wichert, Sr.

   6.4y ago

   ⚡ So great! Took <15m to get 2 sites to load in under 3s! It took me about 15 minutes to do for both my WP sites just now, and it works by allowing people to simply toggle on/off WordPress features they don’t need. Granted, I am able to disable almost everything because I don’t need many of WordPress’ built-in features, but that’s the point. Excellent job on this plugin folks. 🙏 Thank you and keep up the good work!

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ argyro87

   7.4y ago

   I used this plugin to optimize the speed of my website and I had an Internal Server Error and the website went down.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ lelik72

   7.6y ago

   Do not think this set! You will have big problems !!!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ cemserdar

   7.6y ago

   it is impossible to uninstall it from wp plugins! first time i see such a thing!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 2.2.3 Visual refresh: the Featherweight dashboard now uses the same hero-card treatment as Cache by Folium. Folium suite overview now includes the live Cache by Folium plugin with its WordPress.org link. 2.2.3
2. — Version 2.2.2 Fixed: “headers already sent” warning on REST, AJAX and feed requests when the DNS-prefetch option was enabled — the prefetch tags now print in the page head instead of at plugin load. WordPress.org compliance pass: tigh 2.2.2
3. — Version 2.2.1 Tested up to WordPress 7.0. The Folium suite menu now uses a leaf icon (fitting — “Folium” is Latin for leaf). Sitewise now shows as “Coming soon” in the Folium overview until it’s publicly released, rather than linking 2.2.1
4. — Version 2.2.0 WP Disable is now Featherweight — a new name and look as part of the Folium Studio suite. Nothing else changes: same plugin, same slug, same settings (everything you’ve configured carries over automatically on update). N 2.2.0
5. — Version 2.1.0 New admin experience: WP Disable now opens inside the shared “Folium” menu with a redesigned, tabbed settings screen (dashboard, live optimisation count, instant search). All existing settings and their behaviour are unc 2.1.0
6. — Version 2.0.2 Hardening: block direct access to all plugin PHP files. The SEO tab now only appears when a supported SEO plugin (Yoast SEO) is active, and fixed a settings message typo. Props @JeroenSormani. Refreshed the plugin descri 2.0.2

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 1 language, 0 at 90% or more

Growth timeline

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

1. 2023-10-12 20K+ → 10K+ down

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).

• AMP 400K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags C
• Performance Lab 100K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A
• Optimization Detective 60K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
• Image Prioritizer 40K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
• WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A
• Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A

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Drop a live Pulse card for Featherweight into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Featherweight: 10K+ active installs, 4.1★ (45 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-disable