WordPress plugin comparison
Preloading vs LightStart
At a glance
- LightStart has more active installs: 400K+, against 20+ for Preloading.
- On a typical day, LightStart is downloaded about 5,042 times, Preloading about 2.
- Preloading is rated higher: 5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews, against 4.3 from 874 reviews.
- LightStart was updated more recently: Oct 29, 2026, against Aug 5, 2013 for Preloading.
- LightStart is tested with a newer WordPress: 7.1.4, against 3.6.1 for Preloading.
- LightStart has been around longer: since 2010, against 2013 for Preloading.
Line by line
LightStart leads on 6 of 7 comparable lines.
| Metric |  Preloading |  LightStart |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | #28,364 | #133 |
| Active installs | 20+ | 400K+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 61 | 249.5K |
| Rating | 5.0(2) | 4.3(874) |
| Support threads resolved | – | 100% |
| Tested up to | 3.6.1 | 7.1.4 |
| Search multiplier | ×0.00 | ×1.95 |
| Last release | 13 years ago | 10 days ago |
| Requires PHP | – | 7.1 |
From WordPress.org's public data, refreshed every night. Downloads are WordPress.org's official daily figures for the last 30 days.
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