Preloader vs Preload Images (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Preload Images has a higher user rating (4.6/5 from 8 reviews) while Preloader leads in active installations (10K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Preloader has accumulated 285K+ total downloads while Preload Images has 12K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Preloader | Preload Images | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | ► | 4.6/5 |
| Total Reviews | 41 | ◄ | 8 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 285K+ | ◄ | 12K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 3 years ago |
| First Released | 2015 | 2019 | |
| Age | 11 years | 7 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.8+ | 3.8+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.0.2 | 1.2.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Preloader
Preload Images
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Preloader averaged approximately 62 daily downloads while Preload Images averaged 3.
Recent Reviews
Preloader Reviews
So many affiliate spam
such simple thing as preloader, didn’t expect so many affiliate links This topic was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by Mohaymenul Islam.
Got stuck on preloading screen
Preloader got stuck and never disappeared to display the website. Also you are limited to 128x128px
Terrible, Don’t Waste Your Time.
Couldn’t get it to work on a very basic WP install. Better preloader plugins to choose from. Sadly it seems a quickly built plugin just designed to generate some ad revenue and waste people’s time. Ve
Preload Images Reviews
Perfect to improve animated GIF trigger on mobile
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 a
Highly recommended!
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
Doesn’t work to preload site background image +
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
More Preload Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Preloader and Preload Images
Easily add a pure CSS animated preloader to your WordPress website.
Make website faster, speed up page load time and improve performance scores in tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Pingdom, and more.
A Plugin to add awesome collection of Loaders and Spinners. Delightful and performance-focused Pure CSS animations.
Take advantage of browser resource hints and plug-and-play features to improve page load time.
Allows you to specify on individual pages or posts the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Image on that page to preload, making the page load quicker.
Page Loader is a free Wordpress plugin to show a loader animation while page is being loaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.