Earlier this month I have published test of 35 plugins and their impact on the loading of WordPress. Based on interest for that article, I will not stop there. Each month new tests with more plugins will be conducted to help users and to help developers to make better plugins.
You can check out the original tests article to see first tests results here. I got many requests to expand the list of plugins, so in the first test in 2012 (it will be out on January 4 2012) will include 50 plugins. But, the data displayed will be expanded. For each plugin I will include basic data unrelated to tests:
- Version and release date
- Developer and website URL
- Size and number of files
- Use of JavaScript
- Use of AJAX
- Use of Cron Scheduler
As for the tests, we will test everything as before including few new things. Here is the preliminary list of tests for the January test:
- Memory usage on Dashboard and Home page
- Loading time on Dashboard and Home page
- Number of SQL queries on Dashboard and Home page
- Number of hooks on Dashboard and Home page
- Number of AJAX handlers counted in code
- Number of Cron jobs counted in code
- Number of widgets registered
As for the plugins tested, I will include both free and commercial plugins. If I can’t get to a latest version of some commercial plugins, they will be dropped from the test, I will not test old versions. I will contact some of the developers with commercial plugins to ask for the plugin for test. If anyone can help with commercial plugins, I will be happy to include them in the test. Number of tested plugins will expand each month, and as I said, first month I will test 50 plugins.
I also plan to have similar test for themes, but that will depend on my free time. I will try to have themes tested in March or April.
Leave your suggestions for plugins to include in the first test. If you have test suggestion, please describe the test and the method to conduct the test. Tests will be published each month on the first Wednesday.
Could you include two plugins of mine: FPW Category Thumbnails and FPW Post Instructions?
Thank you.
Yes Frank, added to the list. Thanks.
Hi there!
Really great service and very much appreciated because it’s essential for every serious webmaster to find out performance issues with plugins. Not everyone is so “techie” to do this kind of stuff so I’d love to see even more results.
I would suggest one or all of the following – because these are plugins I use very often (all from WP.org repository):
– Adminimize
– Addquicktag
– Members
– Efficient Related Posts
– Limit Login Attempts
– Linkable Title Html and Php Widget by PepLamb
– My Link Order
– PHP Execution
– Quick Cache [actually a cache plugin itself but does it really shine? – I hope so…]
– Simple Section Navigation Widget
– Simple URLs
– Smart Youtube PRO
– Social Profiles Sidebar Widget
– WP-Piwik
– WP-RSSImport
I know, I know, this is a huge list but would love to see at least some of them tested 🙂
Thanx so much!
-Dave 🙂
Thanks David. I can confirm that Adminimize, Smart Youtube Pro and Quick Cache will be included in the first test in January. Most of the other plugins are not official updated for WP 3.3.