WP Smart 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 WP Smart Preloader leads in active installations (6.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. WP Smart Preloader has accumulated 205K+ total downloads while Preload Images has 12K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | WP Smart Preloader | Preload Images | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | ► | 4.6/5 |
| Total Reviews | 25 | ◄ | 8 |
| Active Installs | 6.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 205K+ | ◄ | 12K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 year ago | ◄ | 3 years ago |
| First Released | 2015 | 2019 | |
| Age | 11 years | 7 years | |
| WP Requires | 2.8+ | 3.8+ | |
| PHP Requires | false+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 1.15.3 | 1.2.1 |
Rating Breakdown
WP Smart Preloader
Preload Images
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, WP Smart Preloader averaged approximately 20 daily downloads while Preload Images averaged 3.
Recent Reviews
WP Smart Preloader Reviews
Clever but limited
Did work out of the install…but, it is on a timer, vs watching for when the actual heavy loading page completes. I also needed it to run on a particular page and not the whole site.
Good preloader!
Once I added the code below to my functions.php file and adjusted the timing it works great. I also like the included loading image #1 better than other preloaders. add_action('wp_footer', function
It is not a CSS Only Preloader (as advertised)
It will cause a blank page to be displayed if Javascript is turned off.
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 WP Smart Preloader and Preload Images
Make website faster, speed up page load time and improve performance scores in tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Pingdom, and more.
Easily add a pure CSS animated preloader to your WordPress website.
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.