#168 by installs
AMP
An easier path to great Page Experience for everyone. Powered by AMP.
- Installs
- 300,000+
- Rating
- 3.8 (367)
- Updated
- 19 months ago
Performance Lab
Performance plugin from the WordPress Performance Team, which is a collection of standalone performance features.
- Active installs
- 100,000+
- #304 of 1,000
- Downloads, all time
- 3.7M
- 3,741,203
- Downloads, 30 days
- 22.3K
- 5.1K in the last 7
- Rating
- 4.3 / 5
- 51 reviews
- Last updated
- 2 months ago
- Aug 26, 2026
- Version
- 4.2.0
- 44 releases
Upkeep and compatibility
| Last updated | August 26, 2026Updated in the last 3 months |
|---|---|
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4Covers WordPress 7.1.4, the current release |
| Needs WordPress | 6.9 or newer |
| Needs PHP | 7.4 or newer |
| First published | March 7, 2022 |
| Support, last two months | 1 of 2 threads resolved (50%) |
Reviews
4.3 / 5 from 51 reviews
| 5 stars | 39 |
|---|---|
| 4 stars | 2 |
| 3 stars | 3 |
| 2 stars | 0 |
| 1 star | 7 |
Downloads, last 30 days
What the author says it does
The Performance Lab plugin is a collection of features focused on enhancing the performance of your site, most of which should eventually be merged into WordPress core. The plugin facilitates the discovery and activation of the individual performance feature plugins which the performance team is developing. In this way you can test the features to get their benefits before they become available in WordPress core. You can also play an important role by providing feedback to further improve the solutions.
The feature plugins which are currently featured by this plugin are:
- Embed Optimizer
- Enhanced Responsive Images
- Image Placeholders
- Image Prioritizer
- Instant Back/Forward
- Modern Image Formats
- Optimization Detective (dependency for Embed Optimizer and Image Prioritizer)
- Performant Translations
- Speculative Loading
- View Transitions (experimental)
These plugins can also be installed separately from installing Performance Lab, but having the Performance Lab plugin also active will ensure you find out about new performance features as they are developed.
The opening of the plugin's own description. The full text, installation notes and changelog are on its WordPress.org page.
Questions the author answers
What is the purpose of this plugin?
The primary purpose of the Performance Lab plugin is to allow testing of various performance features for which the goal is to eventually land in WordPress core. It is essentially a collection of “feature plugins”, which makes it different from other performance plugins that offer performance features which are not targeted at WordPress core and potentially rely on functionality that would not be feasible to use in…
Can I use this plugin on my production site?
Per the primary purpose of the plugin (see above), it can mostly be considered a beta testing plugin for the various performance features it includes. However, it’s essential to understand that utilizing it comes with inherent risks. Users are encouraged to proceed with caution and understand that they are doing so at their own risk.
Where can I submit my plugin feedback?
Feedback is encouraged and much appreciated, especially since this plugin is a collection of future WordPress core features. If you have suggestions or requests for new features, you can submit them as an issue in the Performance Lab GitHub repository. If you need help with troubleshooting or have a question about the plugin, please create a new topic on our support forum.
Where can I report security bugs?
The Performance team and WordPress community take security bugs seriously. We appreciate your efforts to responsibly disclose your findings, and will make every effort to acknowledge your contributions.
To report a security issue, please visit the WordPress HackerOne program.
How can I contribute to the plugin?
Contributions are always welcome! Learn more about how to get involved in the Core Performance Team Handbook.
Latest changelog entry
Enhancements
- Add declare( strict_types = 1 ) to all PHP files. (2424)
- Bump minimum PHP requirement from 7.2 to 7.4. (2469)
- Enqueued Assets audit: treat zero-size and no-store responses as errors. (2481)
- Server Timing – Allow description and make duration optional. (2379)
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Where this page's numbers come from
Read from the WordPress.org plugin API on , when WordPress 7.1.4 was the current release. WordPress.org rounds active installs into buckets. These are the directory's figures, not my verdict, and I haven't tested this plugin.